The Best Around
by Zoinks81
Summary: Lynn Loud Jr. is has always been the top when it came to martial arts in Royals Woods. Now she has a rival. How will she handle not being number one any more? And how will she balance those feelings with the emotions that come with growing up? I hope you read to find out.
1. Chapter 1

**And here we are again with yet another story. Before we get to it let me say a few words.**

 **First off this is ALOT longer than I had intended it to be. Especially since I am not really a Lynn fan to begin with. But the more I worked on the idea the more I wanted to try and work on her character, and the more fun I had.**

 **Secondly I wanted to say that this story came about because of Mike The Red Engine. I liked his OC and thought it would be cool to try and write the character. I'll get into that more as the story goes on.**

 **Third, I am breaking one of my rules and posting this before the whole story is finished. I am about 90 percent finished, but the first few chapters are all set to go. So I figured no sense in making Mike and you guys wait any longer.**

 **The final point, is that this story marks the change in some of the writing. Things are going to get a bit more mature at times, and the language might get tad more T. With the kids getting older, pretty much everyone is a year older now, I figure they are going to act and talk like they are older.**

 **Ok, as always I own nothing ... well I guess I kind own one OC in here. The Loud House and all its characters belong to their rightful owners, and Cory MacMillan belongs to Mike The Red Engine.**

 **Sorry if there are spelling and grammar errors, this was long and I got tired of checking over and over and over again.**

 **Ok lets get to it.**

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 **The Best Around**

 **By Zoinks81**

 **Chapter 1:**

 **One of the Boys**

The cafeteria at Royal Woods Middle School echoed with the sounds of laughter, gossip, and good-natured ribbing. The cafeteria was a fairly large room with white tile floors that often had a yellow tint do to the refection of the lights that hung over head. There were heavy gray double metal doors on opposite sides of the room, one to enter the cafeteria from the halls of the school, and the other to exit into a court yard in the back of the building. Next to those doors were four large windows, two on each side, that were supposed to help illuminate the room. Though on days when the sun was playing peek a boo behind some dark clouds, they did little to help with the lighting. Set up across the cafeteria were several tables, the ones with the long white plastic tops and the hard benches attached, the mildly smelled of cleaning fluid from a hasty wipe down before lunch started. Sitting at those uncomfortable eating areas, were crowds of hungry and energetic teens, all crammed together and eating food that would make those dollar store TV dinners look like a five course meal served at a fancy restaurant.

Lynn Loud Jr. sat at one of those long white plastic tables, the hard bench making her butt hurt like she had taken one of Luna's steel toes to her tender tush. She sat sandwiched between two of her best friends, Margo Fisher, a skinny girl with buck teeth and sandy blonde hair who often played on the same teams as Lynn, sat to her left. Emmy May, a new friend of hers sat on her right. They were doing what had recently become a lunchtime ritual since Emmy had started to hang out with them, a little thing they called lunch time pot luck. The three girls would combine their lunches and share whatever good stuff they managed to bring from home, knowing that even a homemade PB&J on white bread would be better than the slop that the forty eight year old woman in the hair net with the mole on her chin could dish out.

Margo pulled out two cupcakes, a tuna sandwich, some carrots, and a bottle of apple juice. The cupcakes were those chocolate ones with the white cream filling and that chocolate icing on the top. Just the mere sight of those mini cakes of chocolate heaven made the girls drool with anticipation. Lynn pulled out a cold meatball sub, spicy of course as Lynn's motto on meatball subs was often 'If it ain't hurting coming back out then it ain't worth going it'. This was a motto that her family tried dearly to tune out. Lynn's bathroom bragging was almost as bad as the lingering after affects of her trips to the porcelain throne room. She also had a fruit salad that her father had made for dessert the night before, it was pretty much just some apples, bananas, and few strawberries tossed together with a heavy whipping cream. To drink Lynn had managed to sneak out a chocolate milk from the frig, a rare treat that never managed to stay long in the Loud house. Unfortunately, all Emmy had to offer was a pack of cheese and crackers and a bottle of water.

"Sorry guys." Emmy said.

"Don't sweat it Emms." Lynn told her friend.

Lynn knew that Emmy's family had often struggled with money, pretty much living pay check to pay check. Her parents had split up a while ago, as her dad was not the nicest guy in the world, and that was being well beyond generous. To be blunt about it, he was an abusive dick. Emmy would never go into details as to just what he did, but the haunted and horrified look in her eyes said more than any words could have. Her mother moved to Royal Woods to get help from her sister, who was also barely scrapping by. Two single women in a small apartment, and trying to raise a teenager while working over forty hours a week. The money coming in always went back out to keep the creditors off their backs and to make sure they had a roof over their heads and some kind of food in their stomachs. This was why they started doing their lunchtime pot luck, to make sure their friend had more than just vending machine food in her belly.

Lynn and Emmy had met after Lynn had been "volunteered" by the vice principal to show her around. Lynn was pretty sure it was supposed to be a punishment for getting caught shooting spit balls at one of her friends during class. Her teacher had sent her for a visit to the VP, who was not too keen on Lynn's nonchalant attitude towards the so called offense. The joke, however, was on the VP as Emmy and Lynn hit it off fast, both girls bonding over a love of parkour and pro wrestling. Lynn noticed how Emmy reminded her a bit of Luna and Lana, only wrapped in skater cloths and sporting a "I don't give a damn" attitude towards most things. She was as tall as Luna but with blonde hair cut in a short punk style with pink tipped bangs that hung just off the side of her face. She often wore overalls with a white t-shirt that had a black skull printed on it.

As the three girls divided their lunches, Emmy began to try to convince her friends to join her after school at the park were all the other skaters gathered. She wanted to show them some new tricks she had learned. Emmy was still new to skating, getting a board for her birthday a few weeks before, so every trick to her was new trick. Lynn was not really into skateboards, but loved hanging out with her friend, the last time they hung out together they loaded up on nachos and Shock sodas at Flips, just chilling at the park and shooting the breeze. Emmy taught Lynn how to kick around a hacky sack, telling her to just think of it like a tiny soccer ball, and Lynn showed her how escape from the dreaded cobra clutch.

"You guys need to come by the skate park today." Emmy said, pulling off a piece of cupcake. "I need my cheerleaders there to Ra-Ra-Ra me." Emmy mocked the moves of the schools cheerleaders.

"The day I wear a skirt is the day I start shaving my legs." Margo said.

"Then we need to get you in a skirt soon Bigfoot." Emmy joked.

"My legs aren't that hairy." Margo said. "Are they?" She turned to look at Lynn who looked away and began to whistle.

As the girls laughed and started to make plans, Lynn took notice of a certain boy who entered the lunch room. He was a few inches taller than her and had shaggy black hair that bounced around his ears and the side of his face with each step he took. He was wearing a black and white plaid shirt, which was only buttoned about half-way up, revealing a white tank top that hugged his frame. Tied around his dark blue denim jeans like a belt, was a maroon red hoodie, the hood flopping back and forth off his butt as walked to a table with a group of guys. Lynn scowled at the boy, shooting him a look as if he had walked into her house and slapped around her little brother. It was a look of burning hate.

"And who might that slice of beef cake be Lynnburger?" Emmy said, following up with a seductive growl.

"He sure is cute." Margo chimed in.

"That is Cory MacMillan." Lynn told them. "The jack hole who has been kicking my butt at the last few karate tournaments."

"Lucky." Margo said.

"Yeah I sure as shoot wouldn't mind that boy knocking parts of me around." Emmy said with seductive smile.

"Emms, you need a man." Lynn remarked.

"Dare you to find one that can handle this." She motioned to herself in a showy gesture.

Lynn looked to her friend and shook her head. She looked back to Cory who had just noticed that she was looking at him. The dark haired boy smiled at her and nodded, as if to say "Sup". This made the sporty teen grit her teeth and scowl even harder. If looks could in fact kill, then Lynn Loud Jr. would have been taken into custody and put on trial for the murder of Cory MacMillan.

Cory simply let the girl give him the stink eye, smiling at her as if he couldn't care less that she was day dreaming about superkicking his head clean off his body. It was almost as if he loved the attention he was getting from the glaring girl.

As lunch was coming to an end and the girls were off towards their afternoon classes, Lynn stopped by her locker. She pulled out an English book and a history book, tucking both under her arm with a couple of note books and folders. Her next class would be English with Mr. Cheney, a middle-aged man who tried to be funny, telling jokes that would make most dads groan. Lynn assumed that he must have been one of Luan's favorite teachers when she was still in middle school. Lynn did not mind the class or the jokes, even though some of them could be pretty bad. She remembered him telling one about how you could tell when you were on a roll, the punch line being that you had butter on your pants. Mr. Cheney was the only one that laughed, and almost seemed to relish in the fact that he got a chorus of groans from his students. Lynn did however, mind the fact that in that class was on of her current arch nemesis's, the punching bag of her fantasies, Cory MacMillan.

Lynn walked into the class, down a row between the various spaced out desks. She had set her sights on a desk near the back corner of the class room. It was close to the window and back by a cheap bookshelf crammed with young adult fiction. She liked being near the window so she could stare endlessly in the free world just beyond the glass, day dreaming and droning out the ramblings of her teacher and his failed attempts at humor. She slid into the chair, placing her books on the top and immediately rested her head in her hands as she gazed out to nowhere in particular.

Two desks down from her, near the opposite corner, sat Cory. His maroon hoodie hanging off the back of his chair, and his plaid shirt fully unbuttoned and open. She had noticed him on her way in, just taking a quick glance in his direction. He of course caught her eye and returned another smile at her. If she had not hated him so much she might have admired the outline of his chest under the tank top, yet she could not swallow that hate long enough to admire the good looks that others appeared to admire about him. All she saw as a giant dick who, for the past three years in a row, got the better of her in the Royal Woods karate tournament. Up until that point she was the top fighter, even earning the nickname the Big Boss from some of the other competitors. Now she was reduced to feeling mediocre and not worthy of her many trophies in martial arts.

Lynn looked out at the grass that was green just a few short weeks ago, now giving in to the gentle touch of autumn and turning a brownish yellow. The grass now looked like an amber ocean, with November colored leaves floating atop like little islands. Autumn was Lynn's second favorite season, falling just behind summer. She enjoyed the changing colors of the trees, the crisp bite of the weather, and of course the sports. Football was going strong, and she had a karate tournament in a few weeks. This last one was of particular interest to her, as she was pretty damn sure she would be meeting the boy with the semi attractive chest, bouncing black hair, and cocky smile that teased her to the point where she was sure she would need extensive dental work in the near future from all the teeth grinding. This year she would get him and shove that trophy in his stupid face. A face that would hopefully be bruised and bloody and minus a few teeth.

The first year that Cory competed he beat her in the finals of the tournament. A relative unknown coming in from … well out of nowhere, and took her to her limit. In the final seconds of the fight she had gone in for a thrust kick, which he dodged and nailed her with a kick of his own. That final point had taken her ego and booted it out to the curb like a drunk on Friday night. The next year she was taken out in the quarter-finals, and last year in the semi finals, all by that smug jackass. She felt he was smug because he was always smiling at her. Why did he always smile at her? She wondered what that pretty smile would look like minus a few teeth. In a few weeks she would hopefully find out. Wait, why did she say pretty smile? She was sure she meant smug smile.

She turned her head again to look outside, this time taking notice of the boys' gym class as they went out for a late afternoon jog. The thought of all of those cute sweaty boys running around the school made her smile. Hell, lately the thought of any boys had made her smile. She was now getting to the point where boys were up there with sports as the two things she had her mind on the most. She had dreaded becoming like her older sisters, remembering what Lori and Leni were like when they started to get interested in boys. Luna and Luan had seemed to keep it somewhat in check, though once Luna started to try and get Sam's attention she was a love sick fool who did nothing but strum her guitar and sing love ballads. During that point Lynn wanted nothing more than to puncture her ear drums with an ice pick. Yet, despite hating having to deal with her love lorn sisters, she was now dealing with the same sickness.

Lynn watched the boys run around outside as they went off behind the building, no doubt to the track they had set up near the basketball court in the rear of the building. Royal Woods middle school was a single story building that took the shape of a giant letter U. The center of the building was a courtyard that expanded out into a play area of sorts. There were a few basketball courts, a small dirt track ring, and a grassy area where you could play soccer or football or just do whatever. Whenever the gym teacher had the boys or girls run, they would either do laps around the track ring or just run around the outside of the building itself. Lynn enjoyed running around the building, more running and more of an opportunity to break away and show that she was faster than the other girls.

As Lynn watched the boys run off she started to find herself drifting away on a sea of a day dream. The tide taking her out to recurring fantasy about meeting a boy new to school, one who did not mind her competitive streak, instead finding it kind of sexy. He would be tough, good-looking, all about sports, and would share the same kindness that her little brother had. Most importantly he would look at her as more than just some tomboy jock, he would look at her like a woman. Just as she was about to kiss this dream boy of hers Lynn was snapped back to reality by the bell. She had managed to drone out her entire class, lost in the arms of someone that would never exist.

Coming back to reality she was mocked by her own inner thoughts, reminding her that she was not the kind of girl that got the guy. She was the girl that the guys liked to hang out with, make dick and fart jokes and talk about sports. They never saw her as a girl, someone who longed to feel someones soft lips on hers, or the tender touch of that special someone that would take loving care of her heart. She was just one of the boys.

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 **So that was chapter one? Interested to hear what you guys thought about it. Leave a review telling me what you loved or hated, please help to feed that fat old ego of mine. Also interested in what you guys think about Emmy.**

 **The Title is indeed a reference to the song from Karate Kid. And there will be more references to come.**

 **Also wanna thank Lentex for creating the cover.**

 **The next chapter will be up a few days. Thanks again to Mike The Red Engine for letting me use his character. Don't worry we will see more of him soon enough.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2: Vanzilla Raids Again**

After school Lynn had caught up to Emmy and Margo just as they exited the school, telling them that she was going to have to bail on them. She made up an excuse about forgetting that she had karate practice, though the truth was that she just wanted to go and kick around a few bags to silence those thoughts that had crept into her mind earlier. Whenever the self doubt and issues with her physical appearance had popped into her head, sports had always managed to shut them up, it was one of the many reasons she was so obsessed with them. There was also the extra bonus of getting in a bit more training before the tournament, she wanted to make sure she was going to be able to hand Cory his own ass on a silver platter. They told her it was no sweat and that they could always catch up during the weekend. Lynn hated to bail on her friends, especially Emmy who really had not made alot of friends outside of her and Margo.

The family van, or vanzilla as the Loud family affectionately called it, pulled up in front of the Royal Woods Middle School. The old clunker lurched to a sudden stop, sending the kids already inside, crashing to the seats in front them. The old blue and white beast of a van had seen better days, those days being some where in the mid seventies of so. Once their dad got the van it was so far past it's prime that it was a wonder the damned thing was not held together with duct tape and pushed by a team of wild dogs. Yet some how, between Lana and a team of well skilled and cheap mechanics, vanzilla had manged to continue to sputter and jerk around town. As much as the kids would have loved a new van that did not try to kill them with every stop at a light or stop sign, they had a hard time tossing the van aside, as there were more memories in that thing then they could actually remember.

For a short time there was talk about Lori getting her own car, feeling that a second vehicle would be a good thing for the family. Yet the families bank account seemed to only laugh at this idea, which was a way of saying they were skirting the edges of being a broke ass family. Having eleven kids was a mighty big drain on their parents wallets, not to mention all the bills to keep the house, and of course there were those lovely mechanics that kept poor old vanzilla on life support. Many of the kids who could get jobs had done just that, Lori working as a waitress where her father worked, but only part time do to school. Leni did something to make some money, though no one was able to figure out what it was exactly. Luna also got a part time job, working at Flips, which of course paid poorly. Luan and Lana had side jobs, with the latter's Funny Business, and Lana picking up odd repair jobs here and there for all the neighbors. She had done multiple work on Mr. Grouses house. All of this had added up to still not be enough to afford a car, but they kept plugging away anyways in the hopes that soon they could get a second vehicle.

Lori was sitting in the drivers seat, having plenty of time to help her parents by picking up the kids and dropping them off as she was taking online classes from home and her part time job was mainly on the weekends. In the passenger side was of course Leni, with Luna, Sam and Luan in the seats behind them. Luan had graduated from middle school the year before, now joining her sisters in high school. Lynn was a little sad at first, as they always ate lunch together when she was there, but thankfully she had her friends to help her get through all of that. Lynn climbed in and took the next available seat, not caring too much about the sweet spot since they were not going to be in the car all that long any how. Lynn assumed that Sam was coming over to hang out and continue work on her and Luna's song out in the garage. Ever since the two decided to try and start a band they had become even more inseparable then when they were just dating.

Lynn liked Sam, as she seemed like a down to Earth kind of girl and alot of fun to hang around. She was also happy for her sister, finding someone that made he smile as much has she had since dating her. Though Lynn had to admit, it was starting to get annoying seeing them act like a couple of love sick puppies all time. It played at her nerves like a violin slowly being scratched along the strings, sending a depressing shudder throughout body. Her low self-esteem nipped at her with every kiss, hug, and hand hold. That was why she spent most of her time in the backyard kicking around Doug, her training dummy.

Lori smashed down on the pedal, making the tires smoke and scream as they burnt their marks into the pavement. The kids were all flung back with such force that Leni's white trimmed sun glasses flew off her and knocked Luna in the head, prompting Sam to kiss her forehead to make it better. Lynn just sat in her seat and chuckled to herself at her sisters misfortune. Not in a mean way, but in that way where it's always funny to see a sibling take a minor bump that did not result in any major damage.

After swerving out of the way of traffic, and nearly breaking the sound barrier on a few occasions, the van then screeched to a sudden stop again, this time in front of the Royal Woods Elementary School. Standing by the curb were Lucy, Lola, and Lana. Lisa was able to skip her class as she was giving an online lecture about her multiverse theory. The tiny genius had tried to explain it to her siblings numerous times yet eventually gave up when Lana kept joking about how the universe could not handle more then one Lola Loud. This prompted a fight that was broken up by Lori, followed by a sigh from Lucy, a joke from Luan, and song reference from Luna, and Lisa wondering if she was adopted. Although Leni did try to follow along as best she could, the young blondes intelligence appearing to improve a bit after Lisa had taken her under her wing. She still had the occasional outbreaks of simple mindedness that the family had loving dubbed "Leni moments". The girls had all piled in to the van and took their seats, they were now just waiting on Lincoln, who was still standing near the doors of the school saying goodbye to his girlfriend. Lincoln had tried to tell them time and time again that he and Kat were just friends, but none if his sisters believed him. They could all see that Kat was head over heels for Lincoln, and their brother as falling fast for his "friend".

The sisters all looked on as Lincoln hugged Kat, the girl giving him a small peck on the cheek, which burned a bright red as he sheepishly rubbed the back of his head and smiled at her. Lynn was not one for the so called cute moments, but even she had to admit, it was damn cute watching her brother get all shy and awkward around girls. He walked towards the van with a wide devilish grin on his face, a grin that faded like a fart in the wind when he noticed the adoring smiles on his sisters faces.

"Awwww." The girls all gushed at their little white haired Romeo.

"Cool it you romantic vultures." Lincoln quipped.

"But you two are so cute Linky." Leni squeaked.

"Yeah lame-o, you two are soooo adorable." Lynn said in a mocking tone. "Kat and Lincoln sitting in a tree." Lynn sang.

"I will remember this when you get a boyfriend." Lincoln told her.

Lynn shut her mouth, slumping back in her seat, trying to hide the fact that her brothers comments had stung like jab from out of nowhere. She hated to let the others see her weakness, how certain things could get to her, or how those creeping thoughts had whispered hurtful things to her. She was pretty sure no one in the family was aware of the fact that she was having issues with her self-esteem, and she wanted to keep that fact a well guarded secret. It was her problem to deal with, and she would do just that. She would deal with it on her own terms.

"Alright guys, enough teasing Don Juan there." Lori said. "Mom and dad said I can take you guys out for burgers and shakes before we go home if you want. Dad is going to be late and mom had a stressful day. So we are on our own for dinner."

There was a rousing roar of cheers at the thought of greasy meat and cheese soon filling their bellies, to be followed by the cooling and creamy taste of milkshakes. Fast food was a treat to their family, with a tight budget and their parents liking the kids to eat proper, things such as junk food only came along when they were being treated or because they were just too tired to give a damn. Though with both parents working more, and the older kids trying to balance school and part times jobs, being too tired to give a damn came up alot more over the past few months.

"I need to go to the dojo and train for my competition." Lynn pointed out.

"Fine." Lori sighed. "How long is that going to take?"

"Gimme about an hour, hour and half maybe." Lynn said, shaking her hand in a "so-so" kind of manner.

"Dudes, we could hang at the mall while Lynn chops them up and chops them down." Luna suggested.

Leni's smile widened at the thought of going to the mall, she was in need of some new fabric for a few new outfits she was working on. There was also the new line of winter clothing coming out, and she had to see what the hot color for the cold season was going to be this year.

Lori simply pinched the bridge of her nose and let out another sigh. Lori had gone through many mood swings as of late. Things appeared to get better when Bobby came back from the city to visit during Halloween, but then she went right back to moping around the house in sweatpants while eating pints of ice cream and doing power marathons of Webflix shows in between her school, work, and family duties. She was starting to look more and more like a hot mess. She told her siblings it was just the stress of the long distance relationship and not getting into the schools of her choice. She assured them that the phase would pass and she would return to the same Lori they knew and loved. Luan of course added that it would be nice of the she could instead become a new nicer Lori who didn't yell and throw things as much. This, of course, made Lori yell and throw things.

"Fine, we will hang out at the mall and wait for Lynn to finish beating people up." Lori said. "Now buckle up, I want to see if we can make it before traffic gets bad."

"Uh guys, whose watching Lily?" Lincoln asked.

"Lisa." Lori stated. "I picked her up after her lecture and dropped her off at home."

"And were all just fine with the the fact that a four year old who conducts experiments on her family is watching our baby sister?" The boy asked again.

"Yeah, after the incident with the tail, mom told her she would feed Ricky to one of Lana's reptiles if she performed another experiment on her." Lori said, referring to the cockroach that Lisa had apparently wiped the mind of with one of her experiments.

"I hope she was just saying that." Leni said. "I kind of like Ricky."

Lynn thought it was odd for her older sister to suddenly grow fond of a cockroach, seeing as how spiders made her damn near wet herself in fear, even if it were just a picture of one. Arachnophobia was something that she apparently inherited from her father, who also ran around in circles and screamed like a little girl when the eight legged creatures skittered across the walls or ceiling. He, unlike Leni, had not taken a liking to the the families new pet, trying on a few occasions to exterminate the poor creature with extreme prejudice. He eventually stopped, growing tired of being out smarted by an insect that was supposed to be brain dead.

Vanzilla once again lurched forward, then jerked back as Lori slammed on the gas, sending the metal monster racing out of the parking lot amidst a cloud of dust and the lingering smell of burning rubber. The kids all jerked back in the seats as gravity pushed liked it were a bully trying to show the kids whose the boss. Once again Leni's sunglasses flew off her head and smacked the rocking teen sibling in the head, to which she received another kiss from blonde girl friend.

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 **Hope you guys liked this chapter. I almost cut it, as it really did not need to be in the story, but I liked it too much to drop it. And if you get the reference in the title you get gold star and a big thumbs up.**

 **Guest - The Lynn in most of these fan fics and on the show would indeed suck it up. But my Lynn wouldn't, as we would not have story then.**

 **If your still reading, then thanks for sticking around and I hope you come back again.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3: Training Day**

Lori pulled into the parking lot, which was jam packed with cars, trucks, and a few other vans. It looked like a sea of shiny metal annoyances that prevented temperamental blonde from finding a prime spot up close, so they would not need to hire a camel and a guide to make the long journey all the way from the far end of the lot. She found a spot near the JC Penny's entrance, it was not too far out of the way, though they would still need to walk a bit. Lynn's dojo was in a little strip mall adjacent to the much larger and fancier mall where the other Loud children were going. The nice mall had indoor heat, food, and wonderful stores to get lost in for hours. The strip mall had her dojo, which was sandwiched between a liquor store and a Latin bakery. All of that plus a porno shop and a couple of homeless gentlemen sitting near the ally smoking refried cigarette butts they found off the ground and sharing some cheap box whine. Not a wonderful place to bring the kiddies to hang out, despite the alluring metal rocketing horse that begged for attention and quarters.

Lori told Lynn to meet them at the food court when she was done, then they could just get their dinner there. This suited Lynn just fine as she could get a cheese steak with extra peppers and onions for dinner. She loved a good greasy burger as much as the next gal, but it was even more rare to eat the food in the mall food court. It was a variable smorgasbord of wonderful meals that could both clog your arteries as well as a toilet or two. Just the kind of stuff that Lynn loved to put in her. Lori and the kids all walked off towards the mall while Lynn began her trek to the strip mall and her dojo.

Lynn took her backpack, which had earlier contained her school books and homework, but was now stuffed with her karate gi. She walked by the Latin bakery next to the dojo, Mama Castillo's, which was a place Lynn liked to stop at after a good karate work out. The short little stout woman who ran the place, Isabella Castillo, was always nice enough to give Lynn some cucumber water on the house when she bought some watermelon slices. Lynn was not known to be much of a fruit and veggie girl, she loved her meatball subs, and would often chow down on Isabella's street style tacos, smothered in hot sauce of course, or her Polvorones, a Mexican cookie dusted with powdered sugar. However, there was something about the watermelon that Isabella got. Each bite exploded in her mouth, sending ample amounts of the sweet juicy flavor both down her mouth and down her chin. She had made sure to keep the place a secret from her family, liking the idea of having her own little special spot to go and chill. Though she was thinking of bringing Margo and Emmy by sometime, it would give her and excuse to introduce them to her friend at the dojo, Lezlie.

Master San's Shotokan Karate was a small family run business. Master Sam San was the owner and head trainer, with his wife and daughter running the business aspect of the place. Master San was a man in his mid fifties with thinning dark hair that was going gray along the edges. He was a bit shorter than her father and was starting to develop a bit of a belly. Lynn liked to assume that he was hooked on Isabella's fine cooking as well. He was a mix of Japanese and American, his father being a soldier during the second world war and meeting his mother over there. After the war he saved up money to bring her to the states where they got married and had him. At least that was how Master San liked to tell the story, leaving out the obvious racial issues that probably followed a mixed race couple during that point in time. Lynn only knew about things like that because of research for school projects and papers in history class. Her history teacher loved to point out the mistakes' society made in the past so as not to repeat them. Most of the time she get annoyed by that stuff, thinking she already knew the lesson there. Yet it sat with her when talking about the troubles after the war, she supposed it was because she really liked Master San, and hated the thought of him going through all of that when he grew up. But that was then and this was now, and now he ran a great little martial arts dojo in Royal Woods with his family.

The dojo was not a big place, made up of three rooms, one large and two small. There was space for a small office just to the left of the entrance way, and then there was the main training room area. This room was the largest, with mats on the floor and a big mirror on the wall, and two large windows that looked out into the parking area. There was also a small room that was once used as a break room for whatever business was there before. The students and Master San had cleaned it out and turned it into a room for the students to change cloths if they needed to. He even built small cubby holes for them to store their personal belongings.

As Lynn entered the dojo she noticed there were just a few students standing around and sparring with each other while others practiced their kicks and punches in front of the mirror. Usually Master San had a full class and would be standing before his students, waiting for them to get into a ready formation to practice their kata, or karate exercises. Lynn saw Master San sitting behind his desk in his office looking over some papers, his brow furrowed and his head hung low. She could not help but notice the stressful look that her sensei had on his face. She walked over and knocked on the door to announce her presence.

"Master San." Lynn said, trying to get the middle aged mans attention.

"Ahh, Lynn." The man said, removing a pair of reading glasses and setting them on his desk. "My apologies, I tried to call you and tell you that class would be canceled today."

"What for?" She asked, confused and a little embarrassed that she actually had forgotten about a class today.

"I need to leave early for a personal matter." He told her.

"Well is it ok if I just hang around for a bit and spar?"

"That is fine." He said. "I am going to let Danny lock up for me anyways, he wanted to help some of the students prepare for the tournament."

Danny Wilson was Master San's top student, often times helping his sensei train the younger children if he had to step away. Danny had often helped Lynn practice her kicks. Danny was in his mid twenties and came from California. He was a surfer dude with a laid back attitude, as he often liked to put it. He told Lynn that he grew up playing fighting games like Ultimate Kombat and Urban Fighter 2, and watched kung fu flicks. That was what got him interested in martial arts. He trained with Master San in California before Master San had relocated to Royal Woods to be closer to his daughter. Danny came along not too long after, looking for a change of scenery anyways.

Lynn thanked her sensei, bowed, and went to change into her gi. She stripped down to her underwear and put on the gi, then folded her cloths and placed them in the cubby hole below the tape with her name on it. She tightened her black belt and and walked out of the changing area. When she came back out she walked over to Danny, who stood infront of two students watching them as they spared back and forth. Danny towered over her, and would have looked very intimidating if not for the curly blonde hair and the barely noticeable facial hair he was attempting to grow. That and the fact that when he smiled he looked like Leni, with an almost childish and innocent grin that shined bright with kindness and warmth.

"Hey Danny." Lynn said. "Can I get your help getting ready for the tournament?"

"No can do little Lynn." Danny said. "I promised Carlos I would totally help him with his combos." Combos was how the former Californian native said moves. "But I think Lezlie was looking to spar."

"Cool, thanks Danny." Lynn said.

"No prob." He smiled back.

Lynn looked past the scattered groups of kids all training, to the other side of the room. There, near one of the large windows out looking out on to the asphalt desert, was a girl roughly around her age and height. Her long red hair was pulled back into a pony tail that flipped and bounced with every move she made. She was dressed in her white karate gi with a black belt tied around her waist, much the same as Lynn. Outside of Margo and Emmy, Lezlie was perhaps one of her best friends.

"Hey Lezlie." She said, walking over to greet her friend.

"Hey Lynn." Lezlie turned and greeted her classmate. "I wasn't sure if Master San got a hold of you or not."

"I was at school, and my sister Lori never checks the messages for the house phone." Lynn told her.

"Well I'm glad you didn't get the message. I was hoping you would show up so we could go few rounds. I am in need of loosening up for the tournament." Lezlie told her.

"I know what you mean." Lynn said. "I saw Cory today and I wanna get ready, I am not gonna let him beat me again."

"You mean beat us." Lezlie corrected. "That kid has taken me out three years in a row now."

Lynn would never admit it to anyone other than herself, but Lezlie Stone was just as good as she was. The two had developed a friendly rivalry that started when Lezlie first moved over to Master San's from her previous dojo. At first the two did not like each other, but that changed over time, both of them realizing that their competitive spirit mirrored each other. Lynn learned that Lezlie brought out the best in her, pushing her to try harder and be the best she could be. Lezlie noticed the same thing. The two girls eventually became friends, always looking to spar and try to face each other in competitions. This goal, however, had been thwarted by Cory over the past couple of years, as he would always end up knocking one of them out of the tournament and facing the other in the finals or semi-finals, then beating them to take home the trophy.

What really sealed the friendship between the two was when Lynn went through that whole ordeal with Francisco. It was Lezlie who was there for her, telling her that the guy was not worth his weight in dog crap, and that she would find someone who was worthy of the mighty Lynn. Then they proceeded to try to beat the crap out of each other. After that moment they became the best of friends. Now the only issue was that Lynn wished that they had gone to the same school. It would have been great to have all of her friends in one place.

"Well this year we knock that jerk out of the tournament for once." Lynn said, pounding her fist into her palm.

"That's what I'm talking about." Lezlie grinned.

"Wanna spar?" Lynn asked.

"Do you even have to ask?" Lezlie said.

The two girls stood a few feet apart, straightening their stances and bringing their feet together. They bowed, then shifted to a ready stance, their feet apart and their bodies coiled and ready to strike.

"Ready?" Lezlie asked.

"Of course." Lynn said, getting a smile from her sparring partner.

The two girls circled each other and bounced around, each one looking for an opening. Lezlie stepped forward with a couple of low kicks to just above the knee and to the shin. She was feeling Lynn out and looking for an opening, much like a boxer. Lynn jumped back a bit then bounced back in with a few light punches to to the mid section to try to get Lezlie to drop her guard. The blows did little more than make the red head have to move her arms to block the attack, opening her upper body to attacks. Lynn would have gone in if her friend had been slower to once again raise her guard, something Lynn herself would have done. Lezlie finally moved forward with a two punch combo, the blows lightly grazing Lynn, but pushing her back. Lynn slapped the attacks away to dodge her friends punches, and came back with a straight body punch that hit the red-headed girls mid section. Lezlie moved back and shook her head, disappointed in her choice of first moves. Lezlie rounded around Lynn, ducking and bobbing to find a good spot to come in at. Lynn moved in with a front kick that went into a side snap kick. Lezlie moved to the side, and landed an elbow shot to the lower back, knocking Lynn off balance and sending her to the floor.

"Nice." Lynn said, getting back to her feet.

"I try." Lezlie shrugged.

Lynn danced around again after making it to her feet and giving her friend a fist bump. She advanced with a three punch combo, forcing Lezlie back towards the wall. The red head tried to move to the side but was met with leg sweep that brought her down to the mat. Before she could move or even blink, Lynn was on top of her with her fist cocked and ready to fire.

"Uncle?" Lynn said, a devilish grin on her face.

"You win this round Lynn Loud, but there will be others." Lezlie joked.

"Now you sound like my little brother."

"Must be a pretty cool kid."

"Think what you want Lez." Lynn chuckled.

Lynn helped Lezlie back to her feet, giving her another fist bump. They walked over to the changing area, going in and pulling some bottles of water from their bags and pulling a couple of towels of the metal rack that hung on the wall. They toweled off and took big gulps of water, then went and sat on a small bench that was against the far east wall. They watched as Danny was showing Carlos, a younger Hispanic kid, how to do a round house kick. Lynn let out a little sigh as she took it all in, the calm before the coming storm that was the Royal Woods karate tournament.

"So you think we can take him this year?" Lezlie asked.

"Of course, we are the best around." Lynn said.

"Nothing's ever gonna keep us down?" Lezlie said with a small chuckle.

"What?"

"It's-it's nothing." Lezlie said, dismissing her joke.

As Lynn took a sip of water a tiny bit of self-doubt began to creep its way into her mind. It was odd for her, sure she was dealing with self-esteem issues when it came to her looks or love life. Yet when it came to her athletic accomplishments, well that was where she never seemed to lack any sort of confidence. She had faced Cory the past three years, the first year facing him in the finals of the tournament where he defeated her by one point. The other two years he had taken her out early, the last year facing off with Lezlie in the finals, defeating her much the same way he took out Lynn. Her family had always tried to console her to her defeats, telling her it was a great way to build character, yet she could not really give a damn about character, she wanted to be the best. Lezlie at least understood where Lynn was coming from. She knew that second place only meant you didn't win, and if you didn't win then you didn't try hard enough.

"I know that look." Lezlie said.

"Huh?"

"You got lost again."

Getting Lost, as Lezlie had put it, was something that had been happening to Lynn alot lately. She let her mind take her away as she over thought things, or got distracted with that nagging voice in her head that told her she was never going to be pretty enough. It was something that was starting to take a toll on her athletic life and her personal life. Just the other day she had zoned out in the shower, using all the hot water and taking a verbal beating from her siblings. It also happened on the football field when she lost focus and took a nasty hit that could have put her out for most of the season. She was actually physically fine, it was just a twisted ankle. Though her coach saw there was more going on so he decided to bench her until she was capable of getting her head in the game again.

"Yeah it's been happening alot more lately." Lynn told her friend.

"Lynn I want to tell you something, and I want you to listen carefully." Lezlie said. "You need to slow down a bit. Stop pushing yourself so hard in so many different things.'

"But ..."

"I know what you are going to say." Lezlie put her hand up to silence her friend. "The difference between you and me is that I don't do _everything_. I do martial arts, I play some soccer, and I'm thinking of trying roller derby. But I try not to over stretch myself. You, however, are all over the board."

"I don't stretch myself out too thin." Lynn said defensively.

"Can you count the number of sports you play on one hand?" Lezlie asked.

"No." Lynn said sheepishly. "I would probably have to take off a sock."

Lezlie laughed. "The point I am making is that even I have a life outside of this. I got a cute little boy who follows me around like a lost puppy. I got friends that are not involved in sports. And I got my family. They all help me decompress and get out of the competitive spirit."

"So what do you suggest?"

"I dunno. Maybe cut back to the few sports you like the most. Find hobbies and things you can do that don't involve kicking people or playing with balls." Lezlie suggested.

"Well that could put a cramp on at least one hobby outside of sports." Lynn joked.

"Dammit." Lezlie said as she spit out the water she had just started to drink. "You have been hanging around your sister too much."

"Actually I got that more from my friend Emmy." Lynn said.

"Either way, a bad influence on you" She joked.

Lynn thanked Lezlie for sparring with her and made plans to hang out in the near future outside of the dojo. She then went to change back into her street cloths and walked back over to the mall, only stopping for a moment to think about getting a cucumber water, but ultimately deciding against it.

She walked through the sliding glass door to enter the food court of the mall, instantly assaulted by the sounds of shoppers and mall rats. She found her family all hanging out at a large table near the Hawaiian Chicken Burgers. Lola and Lana were chasing each other around the table while Lucy watched them. Luan was cracking jokes that made Leni laugh, snort, and even spit her drink through her nose a few times. Sam and Luna sat across from each other, sharing headphones and nodding their heads to some music while they fed each other french fries. Lincoln was munching on a chicken king deluxe with extra teriyaki sauce, Lynn could tell because with each bite a little sauce squirted out the bottom of the sandwich. Lori, meanwhile rested her head on the table, apparently exhausted from her late night study sessions and the family that surrounded her.

The family finished eating then gathered into vanzilla and began the drive home. Lynn sat in the back and stared out into the street, watching the lights blink on in the twilight. She thought about what her friend had said to her, about cutting down on her sports and getting a life outside of her athletic hobbies. As much as she hated to admit it, Lezlie was right. She was in her last year of middle school and about to start high school. Between her studies and struggles to keep her grades up, and wanting to hang with her friends, and if she ever got a boyfriend, well then things would get really complicated. She was going to have to cut some sports.

But all of that was going to have to wait. She still had a karate tournament to prepare for a certain dark haired boy's ass to beat. This year it would be her and Lezlie in the finals like they had planned for the past three years.

* * *

 **EXMarkSpot- That would be cool.**

 **J-Russ- I will go into more of Kat and Lincoln if I get their Christmas story done in time. Keep your fingers crossed.**

 **So that was Chapter Three, hope you guys liked it. I added the character of Lezlie because I felt Lynn needed someone else to help her along this journey. And I really liked the idea of Lynn getting respect for someone by trying to be better than them. Seems like something she would do. Also I realized after I posted last chapter that I did not go through and check the spelling and grammar, so hopefully it was ok. Sorry about that.**

 **I am going to try to update this story three times a week so a certain chapter lands on a certain day. So four should drop on Wednesday.**

 **Next chapter will be interesting as we jump to the karate tournament. That one was a challenge.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4: Everybody Was Kung Fu Fighting**

The Royal Woods event center was moderately large building. It was built in the downtown area in the winter of 1976. It had been remodeled four times over the past forty-one years upon its completion, the first time to remove the tacky shag carpeting that ran up and down the halls, as well as to repaint that god awful pink and lime that architect thought looked good at the time. The last time they knocked out several walls and expanded the four halls into two main rooms that could open up into one large room for major events. This all worked out well as for the past six years it had been the home to many business conventions, arts and crafts sales, concerts, and of course the Royal Woods martial arts tournament. That was the only time Lynn had ever stepped foot in the building. Her mother had tried to drag the family to a few arts and crafts fairs that were held there, but had managed to only convince Leni and Lincoln to go.

The place was packed full of kids and teenagers in their karate gis, their concerned parents hovering around their precious babies like hawks protecting their nests. Of course, they all made sure to give the modern day parent speech about how they should to just go out there and have fun, not to worry about winning trophies and such. That was loser talk. Lynn knew that you were either there to win or to lose, and she always came to win. Crap or get off the pot, don't just stand around and hope for the best.

The whole Loud clan had managed to come out to watch Lynn kick butt, even friends of the family had shown up. Luna made sure to bring Sam, the duo sang and chanted for 'Lynn to get the win' and other nice rhyming combinations. Clyde and his dad's came out to show support, though the McBride's all looked kind of nervous at the idea of celebrating violence. Lynn assumed they were not really accustomed to watching many contact sports aside from the occasional football game or something. Lincoln had managed to bring Kat, the two cheering Lynn on and even joining in on the chants. Even Margo and Emmy were there, the blonde skater wearing a white shit cut off at the mid drift, where she painted "Lynnburger" on her stomach. Lynn could not help but laugh at her friends enthusiasm.

Lynn looked around at all the kids and teens in their gis, standing around and talking or fidgeting with their gear. She felt a few butterflies in her stomach, as she always did before any big game or match. There would always be those feelings of anxiety before any big game or fight. Everyone had them, fear was not spared from those who competed, it was just used to fuel the fire within themselves. At least that was what she once read online when looking for a way to dealing with her pregame fear. Now she let the fear crawl in, only to later set it ablaze when she walked out to the ring and faced her opponent or performed for the judges. It was the fire that kept her motivated out there.

Lynn was once again lost in her own mind. She shifted around and stretched out, trying to keep loose and warm herself up. She did some practice kicks and fiddled with her gear, making sure she brought all the proper equipment and that it was on properly. While lost in the mental mist of her own mind she failed to notice Lezlie making her way towards her.

"Yo Lynn." The girl called out a few feet from her.

Lynn turned to see Lezlie dressed for the competition, her red hair done up in a braid and almost matching the red belt wrapped around her gi. Lezlie walked over and put her fist out for a friendly bump, getting it from Lynn. The two stood in silence for a moment as they looked around the convention center, taking in the sights and sounds that echoed off the walls. The place had great acoustics, you had to give it that. When the crowd really got going it could almost sound like a concert was going on. Hell, Lynn remembered Luna once dragging her to a concert in the building, the combined echo of the crowds cheers and the music made her bones vibrate. She actually thought it was pretty sick.

"You ready?" Lezlie asked.

"Wow, I'm honestly a little hurt you even have to ask." Lynn said, getting a laugh from her friend.

"You see him yet?" Lezlie said, referring to Cory.

"Nope, but I know he's here."

Lynn didn't have to see her rival to know he was around. For the past three years he had won and knocked them out of the competition. Sure she got second place one year, but that was just a pity medal for the loser's who didn't win. She knew he would be looking to win again, bring home another trophy to stick in a case that she imagined was already filled to the brim with trophies and medals. The jerk was probably swimming in gold and ribbons, like that rich duck in the cartoon. This year she would put a cramp in his plans, a cramp in the form of a foot or fist in his face. This year she would beat him, getting a defeated and bitter look from him, oh and how she hoped there would be tears. Those sweet tears that would be like frosting on the cake to her.

"Well let's hope that one of us knocks him out of this thing." Lezlie said.

"Then it will just be the two of us at last." Lynn said with sly smile.

"Gonna kick you butt girl." Lezlie said.

"Gonna try." Jokingly shot back.

The two smiled and once again bumped fists. In her heated pursuit to beat Cory she forgot what her other goal was. She wanted to fight Lezlie. It was the dream of her friend to face each other in the finals, not to prove who was better, but because they knew it would be fun. Sure the win would be nice, but there was something about fighting with Lezlie that made the world fade away. It would be just the two of them, each one looking to one up the other in a barrage of feet and fists, hell there might even be blood, which was not a bad thing. She knew it would be a hell of a lot of fun. Sure she still wanted to win, but if she lost, would it really be that bad? No, losing to Lezlie would not stick in the pit of her stomach like a bad meal, as it did when Cory beat her.

As the competition was about to start. Lynn looked back at her cheering section, her family and friends all looking to her with smiles, Emmy slapping her stomach and hooting at her like the crazy woman she was. She smiled at them and went to take her place.

The competition was split up into two parts. The first part was for a display of form and technique, where the kids came out and showed what they knew and how well they could perform it. There were three large blue mats placed around the floor, each with a referee and four judges at each corner of the mat. The groups were separated by skill level, weight, and sex. Women did not normally compete against the men, this was overlooked in the case of Lezlie and Lynn who had beaten enough of the women that it was decided their only competition were the male competitors. Lezlie and Lynn sat next to each other on a bench and watched the other competitors perform for the judges, doing various kicks, punches, blocks, and other striking techniques.

Then Lezlie was called up next. She walked on to the mat, bowing to the ref and to the judges, then went into a ready pose. She got the command to begin and started to rapidly punch the air, going into some elbow strikes with a roundhouse kick into a sweep. She performed a coupled of kip ups and went into a forward roll, jumping to her feet and going into a jumping knee strike. At the end of her performance she bowed again and walked back to the bench with Lynn.

"Way to raise the bar brat." Lynn joked.

"Kinda got into it there." Lezlie said.

Lezlie got her score and then they called Lynn to the mat. She bowed to the ref and then to the judges, going into a ready stance. She began with some simple kicking combinations, her legs snapping in an upward motion like she were kicking her way from the knee and up to the head of some imaginary opponent. She then spun around with a round house kick followed with a jumping round house and into a low sweep, going back into a spread eagle stance with her arms in front of her. Lynn demonstrated some of her blocks, and did a knife hand strike into a spinning back fist with a reverse low striking elbow. Lynn then went back to her kicks, performing a series snap kicks, working her way across the mat. She then bowed to the judged to signal that she was finished and returned to the bench.

"Soda says I got it." Lezlie said, as Lynn took a seat next to her.

"Your on smart ass." Lynn told her with a smile.

Lynn got her score, grumbling under her breath as she was going to have to get Lezlie a soda now. She was a little upset, but she had to admit that Lezlie did perform better than her. Her moves were much more crisp and clean. Lynn assumed it was because Lezlie had not spent the past few months consumed with thoughts about the dark hair boy who taunted her every thought.

The competitors were told to go take a break and change into their fighting gear. Lynn and Lezlie parted ways, both going to get a drink and check in with their families. Lynn walked over to her cheering section, getting more hooting from Emmy, who now managed to get members of her family to join her.

"Alright guys calm down." Lynn smiled.

"We are just proud of you sweetie." Rita said, coming over and giving her a hug.

"Yeah dude, your kicks were fast as lighting." Luna added.

"I'm sorry you didn't get a higher score." Lana told her.

"Hey don't worry about it." Lynn said.

"You're not mad?" Lincoln asked, a bit perplexed by her sisters reaction to not wining.

"A little, but Lezlie is a friend, and she was the better woman tonight." Lynn told them. "If there is anyone out there who is going to beat me, I would want it to be her."

This took her family by surprise, knowing how strong the sporty young Loud's competitive streak could be. They had seen her flip tables and punch holes in walls, all over a simple loss at a game of checkers or candyland. Lynn was so driven to win that she had damn near hospitalized most of her sisters during annual snowball fights. The girl could pack snow so it hit like concrete, making it seem like she was bombarding her family with a bricks out of a cannon. This is why the younger girls were not allowed to compete in the annual snowball fight anymore.

Lynn started to put on her padded gear for the fighting part of the tournament, strapping on padded gloves, kick pads, a chest protector, and of course headgear with a mouth guard. She went back to the mat and once again met up with Lezlie, the two girls looking over the brackets and who they would meet in the first round. Lezlie got a boy named Tommy Garrison, while Lynn got a boy named Dutch McQueen. Lynn checked on Cory who would meet a boy named Jerry Scott, Lynn had beat him the year before and knew that Cory would be advancing to the second round.

Lynn went over and watched her friend, who would fight first. Lezlie bowed to the ref then to her opponent. Tommy had a cocky smirk on his face, no doubt thinking he was about to make short work of the young red head who stood across from him. The ref commanded them to being, and Tommy advanced on the girl, meeting a back sidekick to his mid section. Lezlie continued to get the better of her opponent, finally finishing the match with a score of seven to two, with Lezlie winning.

Next up came Lynn. She bowed to the ref and then to her opponent before starting the match. Lynn blocked a punch aimed for her head and landed one of her own to the boys' chest. She then managed to land a double kick to the mid section and head of her opponent. Lynn came away the victor of the fight with a seven to one victory, removing the smug smile the boy had come in with. Lynn had to admit she took great pleasure in knocking down some of those cocky kids that always liked to come in thinking they were better than any girl.

The brackets were adjusted and the second round started with Cory, who made short work of a kid much bigger than him by the name of Allen Jones. This led to Lezlie fighting a boy named Matt Jackson, who got in a few good shots before Lezlie finally beat him as he came in charging at her, the red head landing an ax kick that actually knocked the boy unconscious. Lynn fought Nick Jackson, the brother of the boy that Lezlie had just beaten. He was looking to advance for himself and get in a little revenge for his brother, having lost to a girl and all. Lynn managed to beat him, although the fight was closer than she cared to admit, as the score was seven to six. She had let herself look past her opponent, thinking about fighting Cory.

Finally, they came to the semi-final matches with Lynn fighting a kid named Johnny Lawrence while Lezlie got a chance to knock Cory out of the tournament.

"You got this girl." Lezlie told her friend.

"His ass is grass and I am going to be the lawn mower." Lynn said.

"So you are going to go in there and eat his .."

"I know, I know, I regretted it after I said it." Lynn said. "You know what I mean though."

"Yeah." Lezlie said. "Now go in there and eat that boys ..."

"Oh shut it."

Once again Lynn bowed to the ref and then her opponent. Johnny advanced on her with some low kicks, pushing Lynn towards the edge of the mat, and trying to knot up the calf and thigh muscles. Lynn pushed him back and threw some grazing punches to the chest and mid section. Johnny kicked her leg out, sending Lynn to he mat with her opponent quickly following up with a series of punches to gain the point. The ref told Johnny to return to his position as Lynn made it back to her feet. The ref gave the command again and Johnny came out swinging, trying to capitalize on his current momentum. Lynn side stepped and nailed him square in the gut with a hard kick, sending the boy crumbling to the mat in a heap. Even a hot head like her knew to keep your cool in the middle of a fight. After Johnny got back to his feet and took his position, they began again. She waited for Johnny to come at her, bopping around and switching her stance up. Finally, the boy made his move and came out with some rapid fire fists, Lynn side stepped and took hold of his gi, flipping him to the mat. She knelt down and landed three strikes, two to the chest and one to the side of his headgear. The score was now three to one in Lynn's favor.

Lynn could hear her family cheering her on, as well as Lezlie who was now adopting Emmy's hooting as well as Luna and Sam's chants, alternating between the two. She took her position and readied herself for Johnny to come in, figuring he would be getting desperate and heated. However, Johnny danced around the ring much as she did, trying to find an opening to make his move. He kicked and striked, trying to open Lynn up for stronger attacks. She advanced on him, first with simple punches, then throwing knees and elbows. Johnny pushed her off him and hit a few repeating side kicks that landed on Lynn's arms and ribs, sending out waves of pain that made her cringe and hiss. He transitioned into a back thrust kick that pushed Lynn to the point she nearly toppled over on to her butt. She struggled to regain her wind and footing, being caught off guard with the attack. This pissed Lynn off. She went back to the line and fixed her gear, staring daggers at the boy across from her. The ref gave his signal and Johnny carefully inched forward. He felt her out with a variety of punching and kicking combos, each move to set up for a larger one. He made his move as he rushed forward with a punch meant for Lynn's upper chest or neck. Lynn side stepped the attack and immediately spun into a round house kick, which hit Johnny flush in the face. The boy fell to the mat hard, prompting the medical staff to rush to his aid and make sure he was ok to continue. He of course was not, bleeding from his nose and more than likely seeing double if not triple. If Lynn had used just a bit more force, she was sure she could have actually knocked him out.

Lynn took center stage and bowed to the judges, the ref, her opponent, and finally to the crowd that cheered for her.

She walked over and took a seat with Lezlie, who was up next. Lynn removed her gear and took a couple of big gulps of water, looking back to the hooting a hollering lunatics that she called friends and family. She was glad they were there to cheer her on, she had to admit the moral boost was a lot of help as her muscles began to ache and burn. She was glad they were getting down to the final three fights of the night as she was unsure how much longer she could go.

Next up was Lezlie. Cory had already entered the fighting area, standing at the red line near the center of the outlining red square where the fights took place. He fiddled with his gear and and made sure his hair was pulled back enough into a small ponytail to keep the hair from falling into his eyes and obstructing his vision. Lezlie got some words of encouragement from her friend, reminding her that she was better than he was and could wipe the floor with him. Lezlie gave a little fist bump and walked on to the mat and up to the red line. Both competitors bowed to the ref and judges, before bowing to each other. They got into their fighting stances and waited for the ref to start.

"Fight!" He commanded.

Lezlie bounced and bopped around, her braided hair swinging and flopping around her neck. She circled Cory who was slowly following her, moving like a large jungle cat stalking it's prey. It was Lezlie who made the first move, attacking with a series of punches which the cocky Cory blocked and landed a double punch to the chest, scoring the first point. The fighters returned to their positions and came out after the command was once again given to fight. Lezlie inched in and landed a few low kicks to the shins and calves, switching legs after three quick snaps. She tried for a higher kick, aiming for his shoulder or head, but Cory managed to grab her leg and twist it, bringing her down to the mat. He came up behind her and planted a single punch to the small of her back, once again gaining a point. Lezlie turned around and gritted her teeth and she shot a laser like stare towards Cory. She got back to her feet and stomped right back up to the line to take her position. The ref called for the fight to resume, with Cory advancing in on her. Anger pumped in her veins and fueled the fiery red head, as she shot at him with fists flying like they were fired from a machine gun. This drove the cocky kid back towards the edge of the fighting area, he briefly glanced back to make sure he was not about to go out of bounds, only to turn his head back to see a red glove nail him in the face. Cory scooted back on his heels and held his face in his hands. He cursed under his breath, surprised by the sting of the shot. If not for the fact that his vision was not blurred and his eyes were not watering he would have thought his nose was broken for sure.

"Wahoo!" Lynn yelled from the sidelines. "Go get'em Lez!"

Lezlie smiled at her friends enthusiastic cheer as she went back to the line and awaited her opponent. Cory was not long to make it back, smiling at the red head who gave him the red and throbbing nose. This did not sit well with Lezlie, who wanted to piss him off not turn him on. The ref yelled for them to fight again, and fight they did. Both competitors came out like a fire had been lit under their ass. Cory kicked and punched his way towards Lezlie who tried her best to block each blow with her hands and knees. As he made his way in close to her, Lezlie took hold of Cory's gi and tried to throw him to the ground. Cory stumbled, but managed to stay vertical, and used his forearms in a chop like move to break the girls hold of him. Both fighters stepped back and sized each other up. Lezlie moved in with a wild punch aimed for some place high on Cory's body, but hit nothing but air as Cory sidestepped and kicked Lezlie in the mid section. This sent Lezlie down to all fours gasping for breath. The fighters were required to wear protective pads that covered their chest and abdomen area, though a strong enough blow could still leave you winded.

The ref rushed to keep Cory back, making him get into a sitting position as a trainer came and checked on Lezlie. Lynn was at first worried about her friend but soon saw that she just had the wind knocked out of her. That had happened to Lynn more than a few times, so she knew that Lezlie just needed a moment to catch her breath before she could get back at it.

After getting cleared by the trainer, Lezlie returned to her line. The clock was counting down and the score was still in favor of Cory who now had two points on her. She knew she would have to make it up fast and throw caution to the wind. If she was going to lose then she was going to go down fighting and make sure that Cory was going into the finals with Lynn a little winded and lot hurt.

The ref gave the command to fight and Cory came in to try to finish her off. As he drew in close Lezlie faked in with punch, making the dark haired boy block and leave his legs open for an attack. She hit a low kick to his inner thigh area, striking just above the knee, then brought her leg around for a hard tap to the back part of his thigh, again just above the knee. This brought Cory down to one knee, so that has just at chest level with her. She finished her combination of kicks with a quick snap kick to his head. Cory quickly turned so her foot would make contact with the padded headgear and not his face, though the blow would still send him down to the make and make his head and ears ring.

"Damn!" Emmy yelled. "He got knocked the fu ..."

"Emmy dear there are children present." Rita said.

"Heh, sorry Misses Loud." Emmy blushed.

Cory pushed the medical staff away and told them he was fine. He was not fine, his vision was a bit blurry and he could swear the ringing in his head was now playing Carol of the Bells. But none of that mattered, he wanted to fight and he wanted to go to the finals. He needed to go to the finals.

As the clock ticked down the two fighters stood across from each other. Both were sore, their bones moaned and their muscles screamed. Pain had become like the drunk girl at a party, loud and annoying, and just not going away. They ignored the intoxication of their pain and looked at each through teeth clenched so tight they might have shattered like glass.

"Fight!" The ref yelled before ducking out of he way.

Cory inched in slowly and with a bit of a limp. Lezlie stopped bouncing and bopping around like a prize fighter and started to choose her movements with careful precision. As they drew closer to each other Cory smiled again, this time a little less cocky as he did so through waves of pain.

"Aye, yer a talented one lassy." Cory said. "But I want yer friend."

"Oh I don't think you do asshat." Lezlie said with an even cockier smile.

Cory advanced and unloaded a series of punches and knee strikes at Lezlie, who slid back and to the side, going for a simple and well-placed kick to the chest. Cory was fast enough to get his arms up to absorb the attack and prevent her from getting the point. He limped back about a foot and blew her a kiss, knowing what it would do to her.

Lezlie's vision went red, like she was a cartoon bull going into a blind rage. She was almost sure that steam had shot from her ears as her face burned hotter than a log in a fire. She was determined to now kick the smug look off Cory's face, hopefully taking his head off in the process and sending it into the crowd, only to later collect it and mount it on her bedroom wall. Yeah, she wanted all of that to happen. Yet when she stepped forward to go for a hard round house kick, her blind rage failed to notice the fact that Cory went low, sweeping her leg out from under her and sending her down to the mat with a hard thud that rattled her spine and sent the rage running from her body. It was replaced by a surge of numb reality that crashed over her like a tidal wave, sweeping her senses and the very feeling from her body.

The clock had run out and Cory stood over a fallen Lezlie who either could not get back up, or simple did not want to. Hell it could have been both for that matter, she was not even sure herself. All she knew at that moment was that she failed and she felt like a bag of garbage left by the side of the curb. Beaten and broken garbage that had let herself and her best friend down. She wanted to lay there and cry, hoping that the tears would work like morphine for her soul and numb every feeling she had.

As she got to her feet she looked over to Cory who had his fists in the air like he had won the damn Superbowl or something. The cocky bastard was not even paying attention to what was going on around him. Lezlie had wished this was a street fighting tournament with no rules, so she could walk up behind him and knock him upside the head with a beer bottle or something. She felt like crap, with pain that was yelling at her to go sit down. The only thought that comforted her at that moment was the fact that he looked hurt. And he still had to fight Lynn. _Good luck you poor bastard,_ she thought to herself.

* * *

 **So that was part one of the tournament. The damn thing was so long that I had to split it into two chapters. Yeah so I did ALOT of research into how these tournaments go, watched alot of videos online to try and get the pacing right for fight. The first draft had the fights and demonstrations going much more by the rules, but it felt too stiff and boring. So I upped the action a bit, after watching some kung fu flicks, and I felt this turned out better. Curious as to what you guys think.**

 **If you are a wrestling fan and a Karate Kid fan you should have picked up the obvious references there. I felt that I could not do a martial arts story that involved a karate tournament without Johnny. The only thing I am disappointed with is that I never once thought to have someone yell out to sweep the leg or put her in a body bag. I'm sorry, I failed you all lol**

 **Ok so part two of the tournament will be up on Friday. Also there should be three more stories going up this month, if all goes well. I will let you know more about those as I get closer to finishing them.**

 **Y Peace Y**


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5: Those Kicks Were Fast As Lightning**

After Lezlie had lost she walked over to the sideline and sat on a bench near Lynn who was getting ready. Hot tears began to run down her cheeks as the pain in her body made every breath and movement hurt. Muscles throbbed like she had just been to suplex city, like The Beast had tossed her around the ring as if she were a rag doll or a jobber. To put it simply, she hurt.

Lynn walked over and helped Lezlie to sit down, taking notice of the tears that glistened off her cheeks. She felt bad for her friend, not for the fact that she lost, but because she knew that she was feeling like a complete loser for not being about to beat Cory. She knew this feeling all too well, having had dealt with it for the past few years herself.

"I'm sorry Lynn." Lezlie said, as tears rolling down her cheeks. "I-I just couldn't do it."

Lynn sat next to Lezlie and pulled her friend in for an uncharacteristic hug, a rare sign of tender emotions she hardly even let her family see. She held her friend, letting the warm and tender embrace tell her that it was alright, that she did her best.

"It's ok Lez, you still kicked butt and took names." Lynn said, pulling back and looking her friend in the eyes. "Now try to rest up, you are going to need your strength to get the third place ribbon."

"I don't know if I can Lynn." Lezlie said. "I feel like my muscles are on fire."

"I believe in you." Lynn said. "Remember, we don't just set the bar."

"We are the bar." Lezlie finished, stealing a quote from their favorite tag team.

Lezlie smiled at her friend as she wiped the tears from her eyes. Lezlie's family came over, her father holding an ice pack and her mother trying not to let a worried look from cracking the mask of a fake smile. Lynn figured she was proud of her daughter, just could not stand the sight of her looking so hurt. She wondered if that was what her family went through when they watched her fight. The thought had never actually crossed her mind before, she was so caught in reaching for that brass ring, or gold trophy. Now a little twinge of guilt poked at her, a tiny little green fairy poking her in the gut to remind her that her family was out there hiding worried expressions of their own.

"Kick his ass girl." Lezlie told her with smile, though getting disapproving looks from her parents for the poor use of language.

There was a fifteen-minute rest period for the remaining fighters before the last two matches would take place. All four competitors were sore from head to toe as this year everyone had gone out and gave it their all to go home with the trophy.

Before Lynn and Cory's match for first and second place there would be a fight for third place. Lezlie would fight Johnny to determine who would go home with the little bronze medal attached to a red ribbon that let you know you weren't even good enough to make it to second place. Third place did not sit well with Lezlie, but then she came this far and busted her ass so she at least wanted something better than a pat on the back and a gracious "good job champ". So she gingerly walked to the fighting area, choking back the pain that kept yelling at her to sit back down and ice the hell out of her sore muscles. She bowed to the ref, to the judges, and then to Johnny. Then she fought. For close to five and half minutes she fought, trading blows, each hit she took or gave feeling like a lumberjack had smacked her in that particular body part with a redwood tree. But she was able to stave off the pain enough to barely scrape by with a victory, getting to seven points before Johnny and before the clock ran down. It was very close, as Johnny almost nailed her with a sort of pump kick. Lezlie quickly dodged the move, and with her last bit of strength rolled forward and kicked Kenny in the side of the head with a kind of rolling heel kick. This got her the point and third place.

Lynn congratulated her friend, helping her to the nearest bench where she could rest and watch Lynn, hopefully beat Cory.

As Lynn went to the fighting area she once again checked her gear then looked back to her cheering section. It now looked to her like there were hidden looks of worry on both her parents faces and her siblings. She gave a weak smile, trying to reassure them that she would not get hurt too bad. There was always a chance of getting hurt during any kind of full contact sport, no matter how many pads and protective gear you wore. One wrong kick and she could be knocked out, suffer a broken nose, of even lose a few teeth if she lost he mouth guard. Still, it was not like she was a boxer or an MMA fighter, it was karate, and there were a lot of rules there to help from getting seriously hurt. Though she guessed none of that mattered. To her parents she was their baby, and to her siblings she was their sister, and even if it was little paper cut, they would worry. Hell she was the same way, she often worried about Lincoln and the bullies that targeted him and Clyde. That was how it was with friends and family, they worried because they loved you. And she always felt loved with her family. Even if she didn't always feel like she gave the same amount of love back.

She walked to the fighting area and stood at the red line. She bowed to ref and the judges, then turned to Cory, giving only a slight bow. She knew it would come off as a sign of disrespect to those that knew the rules and traditions, though she couldn't care less. The guy beat the hell out of her friend, and flashed a cocky smile every chance he could at her. It was like he was mocking her with every given opportunity. One thing hated more than losing was being mocked. She took her stance and waited with baited breath for the command to fight.

"Begin!" The ref said.

Cory cautiously moved towards Lynn, still limping from the previous fight. Lynn smiled at the weakness, knowing that this would pretty much cement her chances of winning. She moved in like a shark smelling blood, looking to sink her jaws into the tender flesh of her prey. She kicked at the injured leg, making Cory wince in pain and inch back. She repeated her move, landing two more kicks and pushing her opponent to the edge of the fighting area. Cory tried to retaliate with a two punch combo to the chest as Lynn moved in again, but left himself open for a strike to his stomach, a forward thrust kick that made the boy stumble back and fight to maintain his balance.

Lynn smiled at the point she had earned, thinking she just needed six more, which she thought would be easy. Thank you Lezlie.

Cory limped back to the line and came out after the ref gave the order to fight. He hobbled over and used his game leg to perform some kicks, knowing it would be too weak to support his full weight. Each basic strike stung and made him grit his teeth, as if he were biting back the pain. Lynn could see the struggle he was having and moved in for an attack at his leg, sweeping his bad leg out from under him and landing a straight punch to the chest for good measure. This brought the score to Lynn having two and Cory still sitting at a big zero. Things were finally looking up for Lynn, she felt like this was going to be a simple and somewhat clean win to finally put her arch nemesis in his place.

Once again they came out ready, Lynn moving in for another leg shot to further her lead. This time she came in with another sweep, though missed as Cory did a one legged jump to avoid the move and came right down with a low dropkick that hit Lynn in the shoulder, pushing her back to the mat. The nearest judge waved a blue flag, signaling that Cory had earned a point.

 _Well if it wasn't hard it wasn't fun_ , Lynn thought to herself. She got back to her feet and took her position at the line. When the ref gave the signal to fight, she came out hard and with fury, looking to push her lead. However, she instead managed to charge into a thrust kick that knocked her and down took the wind from her. She fell to her butt, stunned by what had just happened. She not only did not see the attack coming, but was also a little unsure as to what hit her she was so surprised. She shook the cobwebs from her head and got back to her feet, brushing the trainer aside and nodding that she was fine to continue. She was not hurt, just shocked that she was now tied and her certain victory was starting to become an actual fight. She had to get her head in the game.

Cory grinned at her and winked, letting her know that he was not down-and-out, just a little sore and tired. She knew the feeling all to well, as she was working for each breath and had to constantly shush her wining muscles to keep quiet. This was as fight. No, this was _the_ fight. The one she had waited for for a whole year. As much as she liked the idea of a humiliating defeat with him going down without a single point, this seemed better to her. It hurt her when he snatched victory form her that first year, now she could do the same to him. Before this night was over, she figured one them would have to be wheeled to the car.

They got back into position and glared at each other, though Cory did not so much as glare as he appeared to gaze at her. Lynn was a little worried that she was going to bite clean through her mouth guard, her jaw was so tight. The ref signaled, then moved and they came out and studied each others moves and stances. Looking for a weakness, Cory took a few quick shots at Lynn's calf and shin with some short kicks. After having to deal with similar moves throughout the night, each hit started to sting, and left her with tiny tremors of pain the shot through out her legs. She tried to shake the pain loose, but it held its grasp firm and tight. She inched her way in close and landed a few grazing blows that seemed to slide right off him as he blocked them. Lynn grabbed hold of his gi and flipped him down to the mat, landing on top of him. She let loose a few elbows that hit his chest pad with a dull thud. The judge nearest to them awarded a point to Lynn, who did not want to get off him.

Lynn looked down to Cory, who was still on the mat after Lynn made it to her feet. He looked up at her with a half grin and held his hand out for help up. Lynn did not want to help, hell she would have rather just kicked him in the face. Though, something in her pushed the bitterness away and she took his hand, helping him up. _Maybe Master San and Danny's lectures about kindness and sportsmanship had sunken in after all_ , she thought to herself.

"Thanks lass." He said, hobbling to his feet.

They made their way back to the line and awaited the ref's signal once more. Once he yelled for them to begin the two slowly, and gingerly, began to circle one another. Lynn went in for a few fake outs to try to throw Cory off his guard, but to no avail. Cory let fly a few kicks that did little more than fan the air near Lynn's head. It was obvious that the earlier fights, and of course this one, were starting to take their toll on the young competitors. The sporty Loud final settled on a move and thrust forward with a straight punch for the chest. Cory managed to take hold of her wrist after a swift dodge and hit two side kicks to her midsection, followed up with a side snap kick to the head.

Lynn fell to the ground, her world shaken. She fought to keep her eyes open and to find her way back on the path of conciseness. She once again shook her head to rattle the mist from her brain and bring herself back to the moment. The ref checked on her, as did the trainer. She could hear what they were saying though it sounded funny, like they were talking outside a window or something. She looked up and then and nodded, telling them she was going to finish this. She needed to finish this fight.

Lynn stumbled back to her feet and looked out towards the crowd. There was no hiding this time, her family and friends were worried, it was written on their face like a neon exit sign. She turned to where Lezlie was, seeing a much different look. It was a look of determination. Her friend looked at her and sent a telepathic message of positive encouragement, telling her that she could beat this guy. Lynn nodded as if she understood.

They were now tied at three apiece and the clock was running down. Normally there would have been multiple rounds, sometimes two and sometimes three. Multiple rounds with a time limit of about three minutes per round. Royal Woods did things different. One round with six minutes. The seconds were ticking down as the time faded like smoke on a windy day. These last few seconds were going to be close, and the next point may have very well determined the winner. Lynn wanted that point like a fat kid wanted a piece of cake. The sweet taste being much more flavorful with the added ingredient of beating Cory.

"Begin!" The ref commanded.

Cory limped forward and tried for a few rapid kicks, going for the young girls head in an attempt to knock her out, knowing that it might have been the only way to secure a victory. Lynn moved back to avoid the attack and retaliated with her own, a kick that landed just under the thigh of the young Scottish boy. Cory went to one knee and rubbed his thigh, trying to work out the knot that was beginning to develop. Lynn tried to move in to finish him off with a punch in the face, instead charging into an outstretched fist from her opponent. Cory had now taken the lead by one point. Lynn could feel the hot lave of her anger boiling and ready to erupt. Whatever he next move was going to be it needed to be a damn good one.

Once again they came out ready to fight, Cory trying to keep away from his rapidly advancing opponent. Lynn tried to get in close and land a punch or a knee, yet missed both and only got caught again. Cory had control of her wrist once more, and was looking to cement a victory with either a knock out or to push his lead with another point. He tried for several kicks as he did earlier in the fight, though the young Loud girl had managed to block them with her forearm. He then attempted to flip her to the mat with a judo like throw, though Lynn took advantage of this move by sweeping his good, forcing all of his weight onto his injured leg. Cory wobbled and eventually collapsed under his own weight. Lynn broke the hold on her wrist and moved away from the fallen Cory, who got back to his feet. He unsteadily got back to his feet and advanced on her, trying for yet another forward thrust kick. However, he managed to miss the attack but happened to walk into a spinning roundhouse to the side of his head, which knocked his mouth guard clean from his mouth.

Cory fell back in a total state of shock, the kick rattling his brain around like a single marble in a jar. His head felt like a slot machine, he would not have been surprised if his eyes had revealed three cherries and he spit out about twenty bucks in quarters. Cory got back to his feet, taking his mouth guard from the ref, who had stopped asking if he was ok after the last time he was nearly knocked senseless. Cory assumed that the officials had finally realized that they were not going to let a silly thing like a concussion stop them from attaining total victory.

With the score again tied, the two fighters looked for any opportunity to land a deciding blow in the final minutes of the match. Cory once again tried to push Lynn to the edge of the fighting area, trying to take control of the pace and tire her out. She blocked and threw some wild strikes of her own, doing little damage and gaining no points. Cory swung with a left hook which met with Lynn's open palm, sending a sharp pain throughout his arm. Lynn let loose with rapid fire punches going off like like bullets from a gatling gun, sending her opponent stumbling backwards. With some distance between them, Lynn charged in with a leaping back kick to the chest that sent Cory flying back on his butt and wondering what the license plate was of the truck that hit him. Another point for Lynn.

The clock counted down the final seconds as Cory struggled to make it back to his feet. By the time he shambled back towards the line the clock and finally reached zero and the match came to an end. Cory dropped to a knee while Lynn struggled to stay vertical herself. Both fighters sucked air like it was on sale and soon going to go out of stock. Their lungs burned and the limbs felt they had been dragged behind a car on a long family trip. That is to say that they hurt like the dickens, though neither knew what a dickens was.

The ref stood between them as they tallied up the score, which took far to long for numbers that never made it out of the single digits. Lynn always wondered why it took so long to figure out that five was greater than four. She was a middle school student that slept through most of her math classes and she knew how to figure out the numbers faster than the old gray hairs that sat on the edge of the mat and talked among themselves. After a few minutes the final score came in and the victory went to Lynn, which came as no surprise to the young girl as she had mentally kept score from the first point.

Now had come the moment Lynn had long waited for. Three long years she had dreamt of the moment where she could rub her victory into Cory's smug face. Cory had limped to her, a solemn look on his face, no doubt the bitter taste of defeat lingering on his palette. Lynn fought the urge to brag, sticking her tongue out or saluting him with a single finger gesture that would most likely get her grounded for several weeks. The boy limped closer and held out his hand.

"Hell of show lass." He said. "Th' better person won."

"Uhhh thanks." Lynn said taking his hand.

Cory raised her arm and pointed at her, getting a rousing cheer from the crowd. He gave her a wink and a smile then limped back to his corner where a mild aged woman with chestnut brown hair was waiting for him. Lynn assumed it was his mother, then wondered where his father was or if he had one.

It had taken three years and she had finally proven she was the better fighter, though the sweet taste of victory was a bit tainted as she had now realized that Cory was not the cocky douche bag she thought he was. No he was just a guy who was pushing to be the best he could be, like her and Lezlie. Though that left her wondering why he had been smiling at her all this time.

* * *

 **So the tournament is now done, hope you all enjoyed it. How did you guys like the action? Did I handle it well?**

 **Also I want to point out that in this story I started to stop coming up with clever names for actors and bands and such. It was just getting too time consuming and would slow down the whole writing process.**

 **Well next chapter will be up on Monday. Have a good weekend all and peace.**


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6: Aftermath**

With the tournament being done and the trophies, ribbons, and medals all handed out, Lynn went to meet her family and friends, all of whom were still cheering for her and congratulating her on her victory. Lynn forced a smile through the waves of pain as Luna patted her on the back. Luna awkwardly smiled and apologized. Lezlie came over with her parents and gingerly gave her friend a hug and told her she was very happy and proud of her. After everyone took their turns congratulating Lynn, her parents offered to take everyone out for pizza, having saved up some money for just such an occasion. They even invited Lezlie and her parents to join them.

They gathered in their cars and met back up at a little hole in the wall joint called Boulevard Pizza, which was nestled between a flower shop and an old-fashioned barber shop. Lynn Sr. knew of the place as he would sometimes come and get his hair cut there and stop by for a slice while he was out running errands. He had kept the place a secret from his family, knowing how his children would act in public places. Of course, he was right to worry.

The place was not quite as large as Spunky Pigeons, and was minus the animatronic puppets and kid-zone play area, feeling like it was aimed more for the quiet family that enjoyed to just eat pizza and watch the game on TV. There were a couple of old arcade games stuck in the back, vintage machines that once ruled a time when blocky graphics were the wave of the future. Along one wall was a poor attempt at a salad bar, filled with chopped veggies and up to four choices in dressing. Next to that was where the family friendly section came to an end, opening up into a little bar area.

Lana chased Lola around the table with a freshly picked booger and threatened to make her sister the booger queen. Lucy stood by the salad bar and attempted to communicate with the souls of the dearly departed broccoli, while Lisa collected samples from the sneeze guard. Lincoln, Kat, and Emmy all hit up the small collection of vintage arcade games. They ended up trading off with games of air hockey, Emmy building a nice wining streak and trying to make bets where if she won Kat and Lincoln had to kiss. Lincoln would then switch to a Pac-Man game to avoid such a bet, making both Emmy and Kat giggle at the boys rose colored cheeks. Luna and Sam sang some karaoke in the bar area, the owners looking past the age limit as the duo managed to entertain the small Saturday night collection of drunks. Luan kept an eye on Lily and even won her a stuffed chipmunk out of the claw machine. This left the parents to talk and exchange ER stories about their sporty daughters who shared similar novel length medical files.

While everybody was waiting for the food to arrive and tempting the fates of banishment from the pizza parlor, Lynn pulled Lezlie aside.

"Congratulations again girl, you finally made it back to the top." Lezlie said.

"Yeah." Lynn said halfheartedly.

"What's up?"

Lynn was not sure she wanted to talk about it or not. In the end it was not really anything important, yet for some reason it sat heavily on her mind, like a fat pigeon bringing down a wire. She felt that maybe talking it out could help her to let the random thoughts go.

"I think we were wrong about him Lez." Lynn said. "After beating him, he seemed … I dunno just different. I mean even the smile and the wink didn't come off as cocky."

Lezlie nodded, knowing what she meant. She to had seemed to have lost her jade colored glasses as the hate and jealousy that consumed her had left her bruised ego like helium from deflated balloon. Now she saw him much the same way Lynn now did, just another kid who loved the fight and loved the taste of victory. He pushed both of them, and now they were able to see it more clearly.

"The only thing I don't get now is why has he been smiling at me this whole time?" Lynn said. "Every time I see him at school he smiles at me."

Lezlie shrugged her shoulders not real sure what the guy's motives were, he was a mystery and she was not Sherlock. Then a small thought suddenly floated its way into her brain. All the things that Lynn had told her, things that once seemed like like they were mocking gestures to antagonize or prod her friend, had now fit into a nice puzzle that made a picture Lezlie felt a little dumb she had not noticed earlier.

"He likes you." She said, her gaze still locked on the mental picture before her.

"What?" Lynn said with a mixture surprise and confusion.

"It totally makes sense now." Lezlie told her. "He likes you. That was why he smiled at you all the time and why he told me he wanted you in the finals."

"So he has a crush on me? But then why would he want to beat the hell out of me in a karate tournament?" Lynn skeptically said.

"Ok that last part does not make a lot of sense." She confessed. "Though the smiling does."

Lynn thought about it for a moment, rolling the idea over and over in her mind. The more she went over it the more it did start to make some kind of sense. It was not a basic friendly smile he was giving her, not the "Oh hey good morning to you", or "How do you do today", kind of smile. It was like the kind a guy gives a girl that he had been thinking romantic thoughts about. She had seen Bobby give that kind of smile to Lori, Sam give it to Luna, and even Kat was currently giving it to Lincoln. Lezlie's theory appeared to have some weight to it, and Lynn may have had a boy who was currently crushing on her.

After the pizza party ended and everyone thanked Lynn Sr. for dinner and went their separate ways, and the Loud family went home. Rita and Lynn Sr. went to bed, the latter saying she was going to finally start that diet, but after the holiday's of course. The kids all went to their rooms to flop on the bed and dread stuffing themselves with bread, sauce, and cheese to the point they felt as if they would pop like a pizza filled pimple.

Lynn laid on her bed and looked up and out past the ceiling and into a place in her mind where her thoughts often gathered in a sort of mental meeting room. There was no power point presentation or coffee and donuts, just the random thoughts of a fourteen-year-old girl who was inching closer to fifteen. It was a place that would hold the random thoughts of boys, sports, and food. The words that Lezlie had hit her with earlier still wandered aimlessly in her mind, and she wondered if there was any actual truth behind them. Sure she felt it all made sense, but then she also thought that wrestling was not as fake as they said it was. It was still real to her dammit. So with the knowledge that a boy might like her coming along, well she had to take it with a grain of salt. After all her record was not showing much of a high score. Two boys down before the whole thing with Francisco, which brought her to a love life that was a total strike out. She was ready to let things go at that, thinking she was not pretty enough to gain the attention of boys anyways. Who wanted a girl who was flat chested, skinny, and able to clog a toilet like a pro bowler who ate nothing but chili dogs and drank beer. She was the best friend, not the girlfriend. Right? Though now there was a new contender in the ring, a newcomer hailing from parts unknown and looking to maybe win that championship belt she called a heart. But was this just her love lorn imagination building a whole lotta something out of a little bit of nothing?

* * *

A few days had passed since Lynn had won the karate tournament. Her muscles were still a bit sore, now only lightly moaning instead of fully singing a song of pain with each move she made. She had spent many hours looking at the glittering and golden symbol of her victory, though she had not felt the over whelming satisfaction that she had hoped after defeating who she thought was he arch nemesis. A boy that now may have been someone who had a crush on her. That thought had sat with her for two days, growing fat on a steady diet of day dreams, fantasies, and good old teenage wonder. She was still not sure if the idea had any footing in reality or was just a wonderful fantasy that she was now happy to let play out in the theater of her mind. Sooner or later she was going to have to find out which one it was.

It was Monday and there was no school that day because there was a teacher conference or something. Lynn figured that was just a crock, that the teachers were not holed up in a meeting room somewhere discussing the futures of the kids that barely cared or the suck ups that cared a little too much. She assumed they were at a bar somewhere getting a little drunk and blowing off a little steam. It made a lot more sense to her that they would want some time to escape the day to day dealing of the kids that really did not want to be there. Lynn wondered if the teachers often felt like under paid babysitters.

She had called Lezlie to see if she wanted to hang out at the park and talk some more about what they were discussing at the pizza parlor. Lezlie agreed, though said it would take a little time as she was still aching from the tournament. Lynn understood all too well. She then called Emmy to see if she wanted to join them, also because she wanted a second opinion on things. Her skater friend was more than happy to tag along, saying she was going to the park anyways to practice some of her skate boarding tricks. The park was a good twenty minutes or so by foot, though that time was severely cut in half when Lynn took her bike. When she got to the park she walked her bike around a bit looking for any sign of Lezlie or Emmy. The blonde skater was hanging out near the section of the park where all the kids with skate boards and bikes hung out. She was standing near a bench just as Lezlie was coming up from the opposite side of the park.

"Hey guys." Lezlie greeted.

"Hey." Lynn greeted back.

"Sup." Emmy responded with a slight nod. "So what do you guys wanna do?"

"I'm pretty sure Lynn brought us together to talk about Cory having a crush on her." Lezlie said.

"Whaaaaaat." Emmy said, slowly turning her head to look at her friend. "Beefcake has a thing for you?"

"That's Lezlie's theory." Lynn shrugged. "I'm not a hundred percent on it yet." Lynn's eyes darted back and forth as she lied.

Both girls knew that Lynn was lying as she was a terrible liar. They often told her just how bad she was when she tried to make up poor excuses to skip out on hanging out or to deny the fact that she crop dusted the halls in school. She always had the same tells, the slow speech pattern, the darting eyes, and the obvious blush. There was no way in hell that Lynn Loud would ever make it as a poker player.

Lynn motioned for them to take a seat, Lezlie sat down with great care not to provoke her already aggravated muscles. Lynn did much the same thing, letting out a slight groan as if she were a sixty-year old woman trying to sit down. Emmy decided to stand, wanting to practice some ollies and kick flips on her board as she listened to their conversation.

"So you're still in denial that he's got a thing for you huh? Lezlie said.

"I just don't know why?" Lynn said. "I mean like why he would do all of that and still push to fight me." Lynn tried to cover her slip of low self-esteem. She had done a decent job thus far not letting anyone see just what she thought of herself. She did not want that coming out and having to deal with the aftermath.

"Yeah that is a bit of a riddle." Lezlie said.

"Maybe dude just likes a girl that can kick his ass?" Emmy said, catching herself from falling after missing a kick flip and getting tripped up by the edge of her board.

Lynn supposed that was a possibility, a bit dark and a little more kinky than she thought she could handle, but it could go in the maybe pile. Still, it seemed like they were missing something, like there was one piece to this whole puzzle that just did not come in the box, keeping them from seeing the obvious picture before them.

"Well color me stumped." Lezlie said with a mild shrug.

"Could be the dude knew you would continue to hate him until you beat him." Emmy said, once again tripped on her board. "Damn."

"What, you mean like I would never see him as a cute boy until I stopped seeing him as a pompous jerk?" Lynn asked.

"Never used the word cute." Emmy smiled, making Lynn blush.

Lynn was going to place that theory at the top of the maybe pile, as it seemed to make a lot of sense to her. It was infact the truth. She had spent the past three years thinking of him as her arch nemesis, never once looking at how cute he actually was. Sure all her friends had noticed it, except Lezlie who was pretty much in the same boat as her. Three years of hating someone, only to have that crimson color veil lifted to see that he was maybe not a bad guy after all. Though all of this was still just a working theory, she knew very little to nothing about him, other than the fact that he kicked like mule and had a Scottish accent.

"You know the mind can do a lot of strange things." Emmy told them. "I once convinced myself I was attracted to this dork in my class back at my old school. We had to work together a lot and just ended up spending so much time together that we would get to talking. Turned out we loved to joke around in a flirty kind of way, you know just stupid jokes and stuff." She attempted another kick flip, this time nearly face planting before catching her balance. "Heh, that was close. So anyways, the more I hung around with that dork the more I started to actually kind of dig him. We tried dating for a bit, but things weren't all candies and roses. We were like total ... what's the word I'm looking for?" Emmy snapped her fingers like she was calling for the word to come to her much as you would a dog. "Uh ... polar opposites! That's it. Yeah we were polar opposites. Totally didn't click, like at all."

"You think we did that?" Lezlie asked. "Tricked our minds into seeing him as a jerk?'

"In a way." She propped her body, ready to try her kick flip again. "You're competitive streaks didn't like the competition, so he became your bitter rival. Real shame to, he is hot as sh .." Emmy kicked her board up, making it spin before landing back on it. "Oh hells yeah ladies." The skater girl celebrated her first successful kick flip.

Lynn hated the logic her friend used on her, mainly because she had a feeling she was right. Her competitive spirit could in fact drive her to make someone out to be her bitter rival, or enemy. Hell it was how things started with Lezlie. She hated the idea of someone being better than her. She never understood why. Was is something to do with her family? Maybe she felt like she was not getting enough attention at home. Or maybe it was that winning was the only reason people payed attention to her at all. She was no head shrink and had no idea why her mind worked the way that it did. All that she did know was that know there was a cute guy that might have liked her, and thought brought a smile to her face.

* * *

 **Well I hope you guys enjoyed chapter six. I really liked writing the part in the park with Lezlie and Emmy. This was the reason I created them, to have people beyond Lynn's family to help her figure all of this stuff out.**

 **Well the next chapter will be up on Wednesday and I can say that we will start to get to know Cory a little bit. Hope you guys stick around for that one.**

 **As always thanks for reading and thanks for reviewing.**

 **Peace**


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7: A Cory Story**

The Royal Rounds apartment complex was a ten story building constructed in the early eighties as a hotel and resort. It started out as a hot spot for local celebrities and the upper class, bringing in all the top names of the Royal Woods and the Huntington Oaks area. In its early days you could find pretty much everybody who was anybody in the small circle of local money. Local sports heroes to TV personalities, even business men and politicians found their way there. All of them getting a room and taking long vacations where they sat near a pool and were waited on by bathing beauties in bikinis. By the late nineties the spot had hit an all time low, with the times changing and people realizing there were better places to go on vacation than Royal Woods Michigan. So the building was sold to the highest bidder and set to become apartments, once again catering towards the upper class. Before the reconstruction, each floor had six rooms, which were of a pretty decent size and had their own hot tubs. Those rooms were then converted into two high class suite like apartments, with an up to date kitchen, world-class entertainment center, and yes the hot tub stayed.

It was in 2014 when William and Fiona MacMillan moved into apartment 4B at the Royal Rounds, a few months after Fiona's mother had lost her long battle with pancreatic cancer. They had lived in Edinburgh Scotland since the couple had married, and had Cory in December of 2005. Fiona had spent most of her life in the states, growing up in Michigan. She spent a few years abroad in Scotland where she met William and fell in love, going back after she finished school and marrying him. Though the years overseas had made her miss her family greatly, never living farther than a good few hour drive from home. Her husband knew this, and when the news came of her mothers cancer it was actually his decision to move back to Huntington Oaks, no doubt feeling guilty that they were not there when her father had passed a few years before. So in 2011 they packed up and moved to Michigan. The ad agency that William worked for had an office in Royal Woods, a good twenty to thirty minute drive from where they were living. Fiona chose to take time off from working, having been a pretty successful chef, and instead stayed close to her mother until the end.

After her mothers death, Fiona decide it would be better to get away for Huntington Oaks, the memories of her family haunting her. With the added income of William's raise, after landing the Cheetah account, a big time car company, they were able to afford a nice apartment in the Royal Rounds.

The apartment was nice to say the least, it was freaking awesome to say the most. The floor was wood, cedar to be exact, with marble tiles when entering the kitchen or the bathrooms. The room had been updated since they were first converted back in the nineties, now having built in WiFi, a smart TV, and up to date kitchen and bathroom fixtures. The shower had a built in audio system with Bluetooth capabilities. It was a dream home to most adults and many kids who had ever stepped foot with in its walls. Yet to Cory MacMillan it was often like an empty reminder that he was alone.

Cory sat on the leather couch and watched as his character on the TV screen was blowing away the horde of zombies that shambled after him. His ammo was running low and he was stuck in the corner of an old and broken down barn that had little cover and more holes than a golf course. He pumped his shotgun and took aim, making the screen flash red with digital zombie brains as he shot another one between the eyes. One came up from the side, drooling and snarling as it clawed at him. He turned, aimed, and boom. More zombie mess oozed of the screen. Cory admired the detail the developer had taken in having the gore actually cling to the screen as if his character had been cover in blood and guts.

"Awright mate I kin use a wee bit o' help." Cory said, waiting for a response for his virtual teammate in the game. "Ye thare mate?"

"Got your six good buddy." A voice came into Cory's headset.

Suddenly the horde of mangled and rotten flesh that were descending upon Cory began to thin out as he heard the popping sound of a semiautomatic rifle. Near the back of the advancing mass of zombies, Cory could make out the bobbing helmet of his teammate as he fired off more shots into the back of the zombies heads. Bits of blood and brains flew into the air, and the once great horde soon became little more than a handful of flesh eaters. As they finished off the remains zombies, Cory's teammate handed him a med pack and some extra ammo to help him get ready for the next wave.

"We need to get to he higher ground." The voice said. "Pick them of from up top."

"Kin we make it?" Cory asked.

"Dunno, they keep regenerating too fast to keep them down." The voice said. "And the barn isn't providing enough cover."

"Ah told ye we should've gone fer the croft hoose." Cory told him.

"And I told you we should have picked a different level." The voice snapped back. "This map is too small and doesn't have enough places to make them funnel in."

Cory's teammate, a kid with the handle SnowAce, had made it clear that this map was not his favorite. Cory was still kind of new to the game, having picked up a used copy at a Game's 'n' Go. Some kids as school would not shut up about how they thought the game was awesome, spending close to twelve hours killing zombies. Cory was in the market for something that could help him unwind after practice and school, and fill the empty void of an often empty apartment. Call of Duty seemed like a good way to kill a few hours a day.

The duo made a break for a ladder near the back of the barn. Cory decided to go with SnowAce's plan and try for higher ground. As they made it to the ladder, SnowAce's character began to work his way up just as a zombie broke through a window near the ladder. The gray and mangled arm grabbed at the leg of SnowAce, draining his energy. Cory pumped his shotgun and blew the zombie arm off at the elbow. SnowAce continued his ascent up the ladder with Cory following close behind. As they did, a mass of zombies began to enter the barn again, all of them slowly making their way towards the ladder.

"Gotta hurry." SnowAce said.

"Whin ye git up thare, toss a grenade intae the middle o' them." Cory told him.

"But we only have a few left." SnowAce said.

"Look, were gonna ta die eventually, at this point it's just a matter o' seeing how long we kin last, 'n' how many we kin take with us." Cory said.

"Good point."

SnowAce made it to the top and reached for a grenade, pulling the pin. Suddenly a zombie had emerged from a dark corner of the loft, it came up from behind him, swiping and snarling. It hit SnowAce, causing him to drop the grenade to the floor. SnowAce turned and pulled a knife, hitting the wrong button as he blindly tried to find his pistol. He frantically jabbed his dagger into the zombie, fighting against time in the hope of killing the undead creature and also finding the grenade before it went off.

"Dude I'm getting eaten." SnowAce called out in panic.

"What happened ta the grenade?" Cory asked, shortly before he would find out the answer.

There was a large explosion, the screen turning to a monochrome color as everything went into slow motion. Body parts, both human and zombie had exploded into the air, raining down in slow motion as a 'Mission Failed' message blinked across the screen, followed by their time. The duo had managed to last a total of thirty-four minutes before becoming over whelmed and eaten, or in this case blown up. It was a personal best for the young Scot and his virtual friend, who had never made it past the twenty-minute mark.

"Dang it." SnowAce said.

"Dinnae fash yirsel aboot it, ah gotta go anyways mate." Cory said. "Cheers fur the game SnowAce."

"Always a pleasure MacWolf."

Cory logged off the game and put the controller up. He enjoyed playing online with SnowAce, not just because he seemed to be an expert in most games, but because he seemed to have not problems with his accent. When Cory had first moved to the states he was made fun of a lot for his thick accent, he even had a number of teachers that made him uncomfortable because they made him repeat the things he said, since they had trouble understanding him. It was starting to become a hot button issue with him, often ending with a few black eyes after the kids would continue to tease him. His mother hated it when he got into fights, so Cory worked on toning his accent down, just enough so he did not have to repeat himself so often. Though there were still times when he would slip back into his thick accent.

He walked to the kitchen to get a snack, raiding the frig but finding little more than left overs, which he was not feeling. His stomach growled, letting him know that a little something in the tummy would be greatly appreciated. He tried the cupboard, finding some crackers, chips, and a few cans of soup. Nothing there that looked too good to him. For some reason he felt like fruit, a good ripe banana or a nice juicy red apple. Those things made his tasted buds perk up and his stomach snarl with approval. He looked to the kitchen table, a bowl of fresh fruit in the center. He snatched an apple, washed it off, and took a big snapping bite into the fruit. Juice dripped down his chin as he munched away and walked towards the living room to see what was on the TV.

It was nearly two thirty and he still had a good a two hours before his mom got home from work, if she did not have to work over again. She often worked late during the week, but could sometimes manage to get out on time, or if she were really lucky so could get off early. He knew it was a long shot as the holiday season was approaching soon, Thanksgiving a few weeks away, and that meant the hotel would be hosting a lot of parties.

Cory's mom worked at the Shoto hotel, the number one hot spot of companies, both local and national, to hold large scale parties. Fiona often pulled double duty, working as the of head catering and as the head chef for these events. She would plan the menu and help guide those under her in preparing the food for the parties. It was a lot of work and had her at the hotel from the early mornings to the late evenings. Cory did not like seeing his mom work so hard that she would sometimes come home dead on her feet. Though he knew how much she loved her job, so he never brought any of that up.

Cory knew there were already a number of company holiday parties that were being booked toward the end of November and right through to a good chunk of December. There was even a Thanksgiving banquet being planned by some company that wanted to show its employees that they were more than just workers, they were all family. Cory laughed at this idea, thinking it was a desperate attempt to make up for a recent scandal the company had recently faced where one of the their top executives had been busted skimming money from the employees retirement funds. Now they had been scrambling to make up for that one screw up, and wanted to show they were turning the corner towards a bright future. Cory wondered what the employees had all thought of it, using all that money to throw a party instead of maybe handing out apology bonuses.

In the end none of that really mattered to him. What did matter was his mom working late nights, and his father also working late nights. This meant he would be spending most of his time stuck in an apartment where loneliness loomed like a vulture ready to pick at the scraps of a broken heart. He missed his family. He missed the days when they would sit at the dinner table and talk about their days and laugh and make plans for the weekends. Cory could not remember the last time the whole family sat down to dinner together. Lately it was him and maybe his mom if she got off early enough, and they would save a plate for his dad, who would come home smelling of top shelf whiskey and cigar smoke. Cory assumed that was what a successful business meeting smelled like.

At first Cory hated the idea of moving from Scotland, loving his home and not liking the idea of leaving his friends. Once they got to Huntington Oaks he had excepted the move and tried to make the best of what he saw as a bad situation. A part of him had also dreaded being around his grandmother as she tried to fight off the cancer. He did not know much about the disease, only that it often left those who had it looking like a hollowed out husk of the person they used to be. That and the fact that most of the people seemed to die from it. Cory had not spent as much time with his grandmother and did not know her that well. He just remembered her always giving him god awful candies and cards filled with money. Still, she was family and he did not want to watch her die, though that is pretty much what happened. Hell of a hard thing for an eight-year old to have to deal with, and it made him miss his home that much more, wanting his friends there to help ease the pain.

When they moved to Royal Woods things seemed to get worse. His father worked later and his mother went back to work, also working later into the night. Cory was ten, going on eleven, and was already smart enough to know what his parents were doing. His father got consumed by work, trying to make sure his family was well taken care of and making sure his son had better chances than he did when growing up. His mother lost herself in work, hoping it would help to block out the pain of losing her mother, and maybe scrub away the images of watching her get eaten away by that nasty damn disease. At ten years old Cory understood, he didn't like it, but he understood it. Cory had a few things to lose himself in as well, his martial arts, school, and his video games. Though he was at least wise enough to have figured out that he was going to have to deal with the sadness on some level. He could not run away forever.

So with all of that it was pretty much Cory's apartment from the time he got out of school until the time his mother managed to get off work, when ever that was. And though it did get lonely and did bug him that his family was not around as much as he would have liked, he stayed strong and did his best with it. He figured a lot of kids would have loved to be in the situation he was in, having the place to himself, not all the pain and loss stuff. Those kids would loved to be able to do what they wanted in those free hours. So he looked for ways to enjoy _his_ time and tried to enjoy what little time he did get to spend with his family. Like the karate tournament. He loved having his mother there to cheer him on. He only wished his father could have torn himself away from business for a little while, just long enough to see his fight.

Cory pushed the thoughts from his mind and flipped channels until he found something good to watch. He passed by a lot of the usual mid day crap that littered TV as of late. A few judge shows where a bitter old hag yelled at people who needed to be yelled at. There was some cartoons on, though all things aimed for kids far younger than him. The usual soap opera with overly written plots and card board acting. News. Cooking shows, which he actually kind of liked, though the better shows were on early in the mornings or later at night. He finally stopped when he came across an old kung fu flick, something from the seventies where they talked out of sync and made a whooshing noise when ever they did a move, walked, or even blinked.

The movie on the screen made him think about the karate tournament a few days earlier. His body still ached with a dull reminder of the fight he had been through, though it had all been well worth it. At least he hoped it had. Ever since he had moved to Royal Woods, finishing up sixth grade at Royal Woods elementary school, he had taken notice of the sporty brunette with the large family. He started to compete in the local karate tournament and actually faced her in the finals his first year. He beat her, though it was a close one in the end, and wanted to congratulate her on a good fight. Though the girl did not take the loss well, kicking chairs and punching walls. Cory decided to wait a few days before approaching her. This plan did not go over as well either, as each time he saw her he could not help but smile, getting only glare of disgust in return. By the time they entered middle school together, he had figured out that the girl was extremely competitive, perhaps to a fault. He put two and two together and soon realized that she was looking at him as a bitter rival who had stolen a victory from her. This shot down his hopes of gaining attention from the girl other than hateful looks.

So he had only two options, let it go and move on, or doing something to get the girl over her issue with him and see that he was crushing on her pretty hard. If he were honest with himself there was really only one option. Cory assumed that taking a dive would do no good, thinking she would actually lose respect for him and maybe hate him even more. Aside for that, he could never bring himself to give less than a hundred percent with anything he did. Even if he failed, he had to give it his all. So the only idea left was to try to aggravate her into pushing herself to the limits, hopefully getting her good enough to finally beat him. He had not planned on it taking two years, but he was glad that if finally happened. Now he was just going to have to wait and see if his plan had actually worked, or did three years of competitive frustration and jealousy actually blossom into full on hatred. Only time was going to be able to give him his answer.

* * *

 **Alright gang, that was a little look into Cory. I hope this helped make the character a little more likable and sympathetic. Also, I think this is the chapter where I started to decide to just give up on trying to do clever names for real world things. I'm a not a big player of CoD myself, but the few times that I do play it I do enjoy it. I picked the game more because a buddy of mine was like hardcore into playing zombies, and that seemed like a cool thing to put in here.**

 **I know you all are thinking that SnowAce is Lincoln. I can honestly say that I'm not sure if it is or not. I left it open to the possibility, but also kept it where it could be someone new if I want to toy with it later on.**

 **See you all on Friday.**

 **Peace.**


	8. Chapter 8

**Hey guys welcome back. So before we get into this chapter there are three things I want to say.**

 **First I want to apologize for this chapter being a bit shorter than the past few. Just kinda played out that way.**

 **Second, this is the chapter where I made a big decision (at least for me when it comes to writing these stories). The characters in these stories live in a world that pretty much mirrors our real world, except for a changes here and there. Things such as certain actors or singers NOT dying, or points in history taking a different path. I'm not going to say which one I did, I'll let you see. But at the end I will explain a bit more.**

 **And last but not least. DannyPhantom619, yes the Hardyz are great team. I have been a long time fan. But The Bar have put on some amazing matches, winning my respect. That being said, I still like Matt, despite him being a bit broken as of late, and do not think he is obsolete.**

* * *

 **Chapter 8: A School Yard Tussel**

The next day Lynn went to school with a lot more than her classes on her mind. She walked the halls past kids she had been in school with since she was about knee-high and in the fourth grade. Faces that she had seen for more years than she really cared to count. Yet that day she did not see a single one of them. Not the girl she beat up for picking on a boy she liked back in fifth grade. Not the boy that once shared a cookie with her after dropping hers on the playground of Royal Woods Elementary. Not even the girl that she had first period home room with, the tall brunette with braces and the laugh that sounded like a pig in heat. Nope, all she saw was blurred bodies that hovered through the halls like phantoms in a haunted house.

Lynn's mind was with her heart, elsewhere in a place with a certain Scottish boy with dark hair and a jaw that could take a hell of a punch. Cory was not all she had thought about for the past twenty-four hours. No, there was a new movie coming out with Chris Hemsworth, a new Fall Out Boy album about to drop soon, and the WCW War Games pay-per-view was coming up in a few weeks, with a phenomenal main event. Yet as much as she tried to focus on these welcome distractions, she could not keep her mind from strolling back to the thoughts of Cory, and wonder if there was in fact a crush that had begun to bloom on his side. She knew there was something growing on her side.

By the time lunch had finally rolled around she had failed to focus on a history test, a math test, and almost got caught in English writing Cory's name over and over again in her note book. That would have been an embarrassing situation she might not have been able to come back from. Thankfully Margo had her back and got her attention before Mr. Cheney had walked by and seen her lack of focus and infatuated day dreams etched out on paper.

Lynn sat in the lunch room by herself, as Emmy had a lunch time detention for telling a cheerleader where she could stick her pom poms and attitude, a teacher over hearing the series of four letter suggestions. Margo had a make up test to prepare for, opting to get some help from her math teacher as math was her worst subject. So Lynn sat at a table and picked at her lunch, keeping an eye out for a certain dark haired boy.

After she finished putting away a little of her lunch she decided to take a walk to clear her head, roaming around the halls and out a side door that led to a restricted area of the school. The teachers and other school officials wanted the kids to exit out the lunch room doors when they were done eating, going out into the back courtyard where they could play basketball, hang around the grass, or walk the dirt track. During the forty minutes the kids had for lunch, this area would often be filled with a number of students clumped together into various groups or cliques. Lynn knew she could always go and hang out with the other sporty kids, or jocks, but she was not in the mood to be around people other than her friends. She also knew that Francisco would also be over there, and that was one person she was not too keen on hanging out with. Lynn craved some alone time, wanting clear her head, and the restricted area by the side of the building seemed like a good place to escape the prying eyes of others.

The side of the school was considered restricted because it was a place where teachers did not have their ever watching eyes. It was a blind spot, a place where some kids came to hide out, make out, or even smoke if they happened to swipe or bum a cigarette from someone they new. To avoid getting caught or locked out, there was a simple system. First you wold find a rock large enough to keep the door from shutting but small enough to make it look like it was actually closed, this was of course unless you had tape and could just keep the latch from catching. Then you went around the corner or the building where the walls folded in, making a small groove large enough to hide a few kids from the snoops and snitches. There were areas like this on both sides of the school, giving enough spots that Lynn could find one where she could avoid being around people.

Lynn sat with her back against the brick wall, her knee up against her chest and her arms resting across her knees. She thought about all that had happened over the past few days, the training, wining the tournament, Cory, the fact that she may have villainized an innocent man in her own mind, and that that same man may have had a thing for her. This brought to mind the whole question as to why Cory would like someone like her in the first place. Of all the girls at school, the pretty blondes who bounced along and had actual boobs, and experience kissing boys. Who was she? Just another tomboy with nothing to offer other than a good right hook and a round house kick. So it really made no sense to her. She already got her three strikes, she was out of the game. Right?

Before Lynn could answer her own question she heard the sound of footsteps approaching. Tennis shoes crunching on bits of dirt that had been blown over across the sidewalk. A good security device to alert someone to the presence of an approaching teacher or student. She got to her feet and turned around the corner, expecting to have to chase off some smokers looking to light up or explain her actions to a disapproving teacher with nothing better to do than single her out. Instead, she saw three familiar faces. Three faces she knew from the karate tournament. The Jackson brothers and their little leader Tyson Smith. All three shared a look which told Lynn she was going to be spending some time in the principals' office later, and have to explain some possible bruises to her parents.

"If it isn't Royal Woods newest karate kid." Tyson said with a smug and mocking tone.

"And if it isn't the loser club." Lynn responded.

The four kids glared at each other. The Jackson's shared a sinister grin that almost looked evil, while Tyson gave a cold stare. Lynn gritted her teeth. She knew she was going to get hurt, but was at least determined to not go down without a fight. Even if she wasn't going to win this fight, and she figured her odd to be pretty damn slim, she could at least make them limp away in some pain.

"We going to dance ladies, or did you just come to see that I have a bigger sack then all three of you?" Lynn said.

Nick Jackson took the first swing, which Lynn blocked. She hit him with an open palm strike to the gut, which unfortunately left her open for the upper cut from his brother Matt. There was a throbbing pain in Lynn's jaw as the boys punch landed, making the girls knees wobble and feel like cooked spaghetti. She struggled to maintain her balance, and hit a lucky shot in Matt's groin, sending the boy to the ground like a ton of bricks. He groaned and squeaked in pain as he clutched at his sore nether regions.

Tyson kicked Lynn in the stomach, knocking the wind from her. She fell back on her butt and held her midsection as she tried to catch her breath. She was not sure if she was going to be able to get in any more shots to her attackers, as she was sucking wind hard and did not have the time to recover. She closed her eyes and waited for the beating, whispering to herself that she would get them back in kind later.

She heard the smack of flesh against bone as she opened her eyes to see Cory hitting Tyson in the face repeatedly. The strikes were so fast and came out of nowhere, that Nick was caught in a state of shock and confusion. Lynn had managed to gather enough wind that she was able to get to her feet and drive her head into Nick's stomach. As the boy lurched over in pain, Lynn pulled out a wrestling move she learned from years of trying stuff out on her little brother. She drove her knee and upper thigh into the boys face, performing a knee lift, and making his head shoot back, small amounts of blood spurting from his nose.

Lynn stepped back towards Cory, the both of them looking down at the beaten and pathetic mess that lay at their feet. Nick held his nose, tears and blood running into his hands. Tyson curled up into a ball protecting his face, crying like a baby. Matt continued to rock from side to side while holding his nuts, he looked like he wanted to throw up but was afraid that in doing so he would have up chucked his own testicles. The sight made Lynn smile as she thought that it served them right.

"Ye a'right?" Cory asked.

"Little sore, and a little dirty, but otherwise yeah." She told him.

"Lets git ye cleaned up." He said.

They walked back inside the school, leaving the bleeding and crying mess of bullies in a heap on the ground behind them. They walked the halls, turning left passed the lunch room and towards and open and wide hall that curved into a large circle. There were four wood doors, two had class room numbers painted in gold on a black sign that hung on the doors. They led to the music rooms where the school band and glee club often practiced. The other two were to the boys and girls bathrooms. They entered the boys' bathroom, knowing it was safe as there were no classes in that area expect for early in the mornings and towards the end of the day. They walked up to a ceramic sink that sat in front of a large mirror which looked like it had only been half cleaned for the past ten years. Lynn washed her face in the sink and managed to get some of the blood out of her pants. She checked the mirror, looking at the bruise that was starting to form under her jaw, it was a badge of of honor, a reminder that she would take a punch in a real fight if she had to.

"Nice." She smiled, admiring her battle scar.

"Two trophies in one week eh?" Cory commented.

"Guess so." She laughed.

"Ye sure yer a'right?" He asked.

"Yeah, I got ten siblings, I've seen far worse." She told him.

"With ten siblings ah bet ye have." He laughed.

Lynn noticed how cute he looked when he laughed. She quickly shook the thought from her head, not wanting to get caught up in any of that at the moment. Despite the fact that the burning question of his feelings towards her was ignited like a forest fire in her brain, she figured this was not the time nor the place to ask any of that. Still, she could not help but get lost in his eyes and the smile that once taunted her and now titillated the woman inside her.

Thankfully the bell had rung, letting the kids know that lunch was coming to an end and that their final classes of the day would soon begin. It might have been one of the only times she was actually glad the lunch bell had rung and she would have to head back to class.

"Well ah guess we should git ta class huh?" Cory told her.

"Yeah." She awkwardly said. "Hey thanks by the way."

"Na need, ye ah'ready thanked me."

"I did? When?"

"Whin ye smiled." He said.

Cory walked out of the bathroom and off to where ever his next class would be. Lynn stood in the bathroom and blinked herself out of the frozen state the boys words had left her in. She saw her reflection in the mirror, a blushing mess, her cheeks the same color as the red of the track pants she wore during the cooler months. Her eyes were wide and filled with shock. Was he flirting with her?

* * *

 **Ok guys that was chapter eight and things seem to be picking up. Hope you guys are starting to dig Cory.**

 **So if you are a wrestling fan like me then you noticed the change I made in history. WCW won the Monday night wars. I won't get into all of the details here, but let me just say that there are a lot of notes on this subject. Between using this concept for my universe mode in the 2K games to also writing a few unpublished essays and articles on what I imagined could have happened if history went down this path. What can I say, cartoons and comics are not the only things I am a total nerd about.**

 **Well that is it for week guys. If you are a Katcoln fan then check back on Sunday for the Kat and Lincoln Christmas special. I tried to make it pretty cute. Then I will see you all back on Monday for chapter nine.**

 **Peace.**


	9. Chapter 9

**Hey there folks! Well is is Monday and that means it is time for another update of The Best Around. I will let you all get to it and see you after the show for some words.**

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 **Chapter 9: From Out of Nowhere!**

That night Lynn went home and did her normal routine. Kicked her practice dummy around in the backyard, watched some TV, ate dinner, then brushed her teeth and went to bed. Though she did all of it on autopilot. Thankfully her family did not seem to question her too much about how school was or where the purple and brown bruise on her chin had come from, thank God for her rough extra-curricular activities. Yet if she had been in her normal state of mind, the blinders of her brief encounter with Cory not blocking her peripheral vision, she may have noticed that some of her sisters had taken notice of her odd behavior. Lynn not running and yelling as she often did was a red flag of sorts that something was off with her.

The next day at school went by in a haze as well, Lynn continued to go through the motions as if it were all a dream. While her body sat in class, her mind was in the lunch room where she played out a variety of day dreams and fantasies between her and Cory. Most were simple encounters where they talked and exchanged numbers, though a few involved some pretty heavy lip locks. Those were the ones that made her blush, getting odd looks from the other kids in class.

As lunch grew nearer and her imagination became much more vivid, she started to get annoyed with herself. She was Lynn Loud, the best athlete in the whole Royal Woods area. She could handle any sport on a level that made both guys and girls look on with envious eyes and jealous hearts. She never had trouble talking to the boys on her team. Well almost never. She most certainly did not sit in class and day dream about boys like they were sweet creamy chocolate bars to be devoured. She hated that crap. Gave her sisters a hard time when ever they did it. She certainly did not want to do it.

Lynn remembered how things were with Luna when she first started to get her crush on Sam. Before she left the note she would sit in her room and strum little love ballads as she looked off into the vast nowhere of her mind. Things grew worse after the note. The endless pacing back and forth as she waited to see what was going to happen, or how she was going to work up the nerve to follow through on the note. She wished she could say that things thankfully changed once they started to date, though they did not. Luna walked around like a love sick puppy once they finally got together. Was that was happening to her? What would happen to her? She hated that thought like it was covered in Brussels sprouts. She did not want to act like a nervous cheerleader waiting on the results of pregnancy test after a backseat romp, while she waited to find out if Cory really liked her or not. These thoughts and feelings felt so foreign to her. But did they? When she really looked deep into her subconscious, there had been little sprinklings of those emotions throughout her life. There were of course her three previous crushes. Then there were the moments with Lincoln, when ever he started to like a girl or a girl liked him. All the sisters would jump and around and squeal, overly excited that their brother might have a little girlfriend. It was something that could look out of place to her character if one really studied it. Here was this tough bad chick who could out play or fight any boy, and yet certain things turned her into the stereo typical girl got excited over anything cute or sweet. It made no sense to her. It also made her remember Lisa once telling her that emotions made no sense. See could now see that.

When lunch finally came around she shuffled into the lunch room and found her two friends sitting as they always did, near the gray double doors that led to the back courtyard. She slid in between Margo and Emmy, once again playing a little lunchtime pot luck, though Lynn's heart was not really into it. Both girls noticed the lack of interest their friend had in anything they had to say or offer up to grub on. The final straw was when Emmy said she had a chocolate bar and Lynn hardly even batted an eyelash. A Loud not coo coo for a coco bar, well that was how you knew that Hell had frozen over. Emmy was pretty sure she knew the 'why' to her friends current condition.

"I have heard of being love sick before, but you are acting like a love junkie." Emmy said. "You're all cracked out on a crush."

"Emmy is right Lynn, your acting weird." Margo said. "And that's being nice."

"Huh? Oh sorry guys." Lynn said, finally noticing that they were there. "I just got a lot on my mind."

"A whole lotta Cory." Emmy said.

"Sorry guys, I just don't know what to do about all of this." She said.

"You can go talk to him." Margo suggested.

Lynn scoffed at the simplicity of the idea. Sure the easy and obvious thing to do would be to talk to him. Walk right up and ask him how he feels about her, and confess that she had started to develop feelings for him. Seems like an easy thing to do for a girl who never ran away from any fight in her life. Yet this was not a fight. Getting punched in the face seemed like a walk in the park compared to opening herself up to a boy and letting him in to see her feelings. Her heart. Three times she attempted it and three times she failed. Sure with them she didn't know how they felt, not even a little. At least it appeared like Cory had some feelings towards her. Yet if she were wrong, maybe picking up the wrong signals again. Well, she was not sure she could handle getting humiliated by a boy again.

Across the lunch room Cory walked in and went to the table were his little group of friends sat. He was in between a red-headed boy and a blonde with thick dark rimmed glasses. Lynn assumed they all did what most boys did at lunch, eat, talk trash to each other, and discuss who was better at what video game. There may have been some sports talk and a few discussions about which girl had the better chest, this was all stuff she imagined boys would talk about when amongst themselves. The guys she hung out with during football and baseball practice were sort of like that, toning it down a bit when she was around.

Emmy looked at Lynn, her eyes following her friends gaze towards the table where Cory and his friends joked around. Emmy May was perhaps the most unsubtle girl in school. If she didn't like something or someone, she would not hesitate to make her opinion known. Or when she wanted something you had better believe she was going to just go out a get it. It was one of the things that Lynn liked about her friend. However, if Lynn had known what Emmy was going to do, she may have reconsidered their friendship.

"Oh for the love of ..." Emmy said with a sigh, as she got up from the table and walked across the room towards the guy that captivated her friend's attention.

As Emmy got closer to the table where Cory and his friends all sat, laughing about something that Emmy could really careless about, he looked to the young blonde and smiled. Emmy halfheartedly smiled back.

"Hey, can I pull you away from your friends here." She said. "My friend over there as been acting all funny and I think it's got something to do with you. Could you come over and talk with her before she makes me go to the gym and hang myself."

"Sure." Cory said with a light chuckle.

Lynn watched on in a state of panic as her soon to be former friend was now inviting the boy that had a leading role in all of her fantasies for the past forty-eight hours, over to join them. Lynn was not the kind of person to get embarrassed with ease, as she was the girl who once farted in class, only to brag that she could have done worse if she had eaten one more spicy meatball and egg breakfast sandwich that morning. Yet here she was, a scarlet blush creeping across her cheeks as she tried to figure out just what the hell she was going to say to the cute guy that gave her butterflies like spicy meats gave her gas.

Cory and Emmy walked back to the table, Cory sitting on the opposite side so he could look across at Lynn. Emmy had scooted down a bit, afraid that Lynn would take the opportunity to try to stab her to death with a plastic spork.

"Yer friend 'ere tells me that ah have bin making ye act all funny." Cory said.

"Ex friend." Lynn hissed as she stared daggers at Emmy for putting her in this situation.

"Psssh, please." Emmy waved her hand to dismiss the comment. "I'm like herpes, you can't never get rid of me."

Margo, taking the wrong moment to sip at her drink, spit the liquid out all over the table, shocked and laughing at Emmy's comment. Lynn would have joined her friend in laughing if she had not been both irritated and embarrassed that her friend had invited her new crush to sit with them, telling him that he was the reason she had been so distracted. Lynn was embarrassed. The girl who once had to fart on field trip, and held it until they were inside the museum just to hear the sick echo.

Emmy looked to Margo and motioned for the two of them to leave, giving Cory and Lynn some privacy to discuss whatever they were too embarrassed to talk about in the company of friends. The two slid out and walked to the exit, with Emmy turning her head and smiling at her friend as she gave a thumbs up.

"So .. "Lynn trailed off.

"How are ye feeling after yesterday?" Cory asked.

"Eh." She waved her hand in a so-so manner." My older sister did worse to me."

"Och?"

"It was an accident. We were horsing around in the living room, I slipped off the arm of our couch and fell jaw first on to her knee. Doctor told me I was lucky I didn't break my jaw." Lynn laughed. "Poor Lori felt like crap for weeks, bringing me soup and fluffing my pillow."

"Sounds crakin'." He said, getting an odd look from Lynn as she failed to understand what he meant. "Means nice."

"It kinda was." Lynn thought about how that was one of the few times her and Lori really spent some time together. The age gape and lack of common interests seemed to make the distance between the two grow farther year after year. If not for her failing to get into college she doubted she would have seen or heard much of Lori, except on holidays. It kind of made her said that she was not closer to her older sister.

"Well if thare is one thing ah know about ye, besides yer fightin' skills, is that ye kin take a licking n' keep on ticking." Cory laughed.

"Yeah." Lynn shyly laughed with him.

"Ye pure are a good fighter." He told her.

"Thanks. Though I don't think I hold a candle to you."

"Ye beat me didnae ye? Ah would say that puts ye as the best right now." He said.

"Well far be it from me to take a compliment." Lynn shrugged, making the young boy chuckle.

There was another awkward moment of silence. Lynn wanted to ask the question that had been eating at her for days now, hoping for the answer she was looking for. Yet every time the question made it to the tip of her tongue she would swallow it back in fear. Afraid that she would not get the answer she wanted and her heart would once again be left on life support.

"Ye know." Cory said. "If ye were interested, ah could show ye some techniques some time."

"Really?" Lynn asked.

"Aye. Ah mean it wouldn't be much, just a few things ah picked up 'ere 'n' thare." He said.

"That would actually be really cool." Lynn said, feeling her heart beat a bit faster. "My siblings won't help me train anymore, said I was too rough with them.

"Ah guess we could either meet up at your dojo or mine?"

A sudden thought had hit Lynn. Something she was kind of surprised she had even thought of at the time. If they trained at one of their dojos, they would more than likely be surrounded by a bunch of other kids. Whereas if they went to her house, she could probably convince her siblings to leave them alone. They could train in the backyard, and she might be able to finally ask Cory if he did have a little crush on her or not. It was not a perfect plan, but it was a plan.

"You know I have a killer set up in my backyard." Lynn said. "You could come over this weekend and show me some moves."

"Sounds good." Cory smiled. "Then ah guess ah will see ye Saturday."

After Cory left Lynn wanted to reach for a paper bag and try to keep from hyperventilating. She could not believe she had gotten up the nerve to ask him to come over. She thought for sure that little voice of self-doubt would rear its ugly head and talk her out of it. Now all she had to do was convince her siblings to leave them alone enough that she could talk to him. Of course that was only if she was going to be able to actually build up the courage to talk with him. The ball was now in her court and she was either going make it, or foul it up.

* * *

 **I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter.**

 **It was brought to my attention that Relationship Status Update may have felt a little rushed. Well it kind of was. See that story takes place after this one, and everything that I have been writing in this AU has been building to a few things. I needed to jump ahead a bit so that the next time we see all of these characters they are where I need them. Sorry about that, but hey, it was still a pretty cute story.**

 **Now with Best we are one chapter off from the half way point. Some of my favorite chapters are ahead and can't wait for you guys to see them.**

 **Thanks again for reading and I'll see you back on Wednesday.**

 **Peace**


	10. Chapter 10

**Well gang it is time for the next chapter. Once again, I apologize for any spelling or grammar errors. Tried to catch them all, but I suck at Pokemon ... I mean editing. Also this chapter we get to finally find out what happened with old Francisco.**

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 **Chapter 10: Left My Heart With Francisco**

The next few days went by in a blur. A slow motion blur with Saturday standing at the end of the hall taunting her. She felt like the weekend would never come and she would be doomed to relive the days working up to it over and over again. She felt like that guy in that movie where he kept reliving the same day over again. She liked that movie, but had to admit if it were on TV now she would be sorely tempted to shoot the damn TV out of bitter annoyance. Thankfully between roller derby practice, martial arts training, and spending time with her friends and family, Lynn noticed that time was getting eaten up like it were a little plastic ball in a game of Hungry Hungry Hippos.

Saturday was just a few days away, and as it drew closer the ball of nerves that had settled itself into her stomach began to ache, reminding her of all the times in the past where she had failed. Her track record in dating was far less impressive than the one she had in sports. Hell even the one she had with Lincoln and his video games was better. She always seemed to get tackled in the friend zone, fumbling her chances on three separate occasions.

Her first crush was a boy named Tommy that she liked back when she was in fifth grade. He was cute and had a chipped tooth like her brother (though this was before that infamous incident that caused Lincoln to chip his tooth). Lynn loved to play tether ball with Tommy, who was taller than her and always seemed to get an advantage over her. They would go back and forth all during recess. One day a girl named Stephanie started to pick on Tommy for being so tall. This pissed Lynn off. She went to Stephanie one day during recess and told her to knock it off. Stephanie refused to do so, even pushed Lynn down. Lynn got back to her feet, hocked a loogie to the dirt and hauled off with her right, hitting Stephanie square in the cheek. Lynn of course got detention and almost got suspended. All of that she could handle with no problem. The thing that crushed her was when Tommy told her he did not want to play with her anymore. He had been embarrassed that a girl had to fight his battles for him. That was strike one.

After Tommy came Richie, the boy she met on her first day of middle school. Richie was cocky, funny, and loved to play basketball. During gym class he would always challenge Lynn to a game of horse. Richie would clobber her every time, putting her down with a three point shot from the side of the court. For some reason Lynn was having some major difficulties with that particular shot, the ball always either hitting the side of the back board or just rolling off the rim. At this point Lynn's competitive streak started to really show, and she would put the time in to practice over and over again until she improved in her performance. Later, when Richie challenged her again, she made the three point shot and finally beat him. She ran around the court and yelled and hollered like she won the NBA championship. Afterwards Richie got quiet and distant. He stopped playing with her, instead focusing his attentions on one of the other girls, a blonde who was getting breasts and giggled at his stupid jokes. Lynn would watch as he tried to impress her and she would laugh and toss her hair, leaving Lynn to blink back tears and go home to stare in the mirror at the flat chested tomboy looking back to her. She wished she looked as perfect as Lori or Leni, with hair that shined and a body that did not look like it was waiting for its nuts to drop. That was the first time a boy made her cry, and God had she wished she could have punched the ugly reflection in the mirror that day. Strike two.

Then there was Francisco. God damned Francisco. Things seemed great at first, they were on the same baseball team, they always joked around during practice. It felt like they were a lot closer than just being friends. Once she started to notice how cute he was, well that was when she found herself stealing looks at him, admiring how the tight baseball uniform snuggled around his body. He was the first guy that she would lay awake on her bed and night and think about kissing her. Making her heart and senses tingle. She was still waiting for that first kiss, and she wanted it to be Francisco so badly.

Things changed so quickly after she gave him the note. She wondered why she let her sisters talk her into that stupid love note. Why did she let herself think that this would have been any different from the others? Once he found out who the note was from his attitude towards her changed. He told her he didn't see her like that, that she was more like a brother to her. The jackass actually told her that, saying that the girl who poured her heart out to him was more like a brother to her. If she had not been so heart broken at the time she may have kicked him in the nuts so hard he would have been choking on them for a week. Instead, she went home and cried in the shower as she tried to scrub herself clean, feeling dirty for even trying to open herself up to him.

A few weeks later Francisco started to date a perky little blonde girl who had curves in all the right places and reputation for going a lot farther than just kissing. That was when something crossed her mind that she instantly hated to think about. For a split-second Lynn wondered if blood and pain could dull the ache her heart felt. She knew she couldn't cut herself the way a few of the girls at school did, the way she thought Lucy did. But she could push herself out on the field, or when she was fighting. Take a few hits, lets some blood flow and some bones crack. A few flashes of pain to silence the moan of her broken heart. Would that have been so bad?

She ultimately talked herself out of it, knowing that her pain would eventually become her siblings pain. She hated the thought of Lucy cutting herself or thinking about suicide, though they could never prove she was doing either. Still, just the thought made her heart hurt far worse than what any boy could do to her. Lynn did not want to put that kind of pain on to her siblings. She would grit her teeth and bare it, just fight through it all. Though the thoughts never did go away, and she supposed they never would. As long as she saw herself as just another ugly girl who could never find that special someone in her life, then she would always have those looming phantoms haunting her mind.

After everything with Francisco, her friends helped her through it, telling her that she did not need a man to make her feel complete. Saying that she was a strong independent woman who could handle anything. Though they may have been right, it did not change the fact that she still felt the desire to feel someones tender lips on hers. She wished for someone to tell her how pretty she was, and to feel their warm embrace as they wrapped their arms around her, whispering sweet words into her ear. She wanted to be loved dammit. Was that too much to really ask for? Just one boy to tell her that she was special, that she mattered, that she was at least beautiful to him. God she hated those damn feelings. She hated to be weak, to feel she was living up to some kind stereotype of how a girl was supposed to act. She was supposed to be tough. Yet she often found herself crying about not being loved, practically praying for some boy to save her. That wasn't her, yet she knew those feelings were there. Even now with Cory and the unknown possibility that he brought along with him, she found herself looking at a girl she almost did not recognize. What was she was becoming? Was she just growing up, leaving the girl she was behind, changing into the woman she did not want to be? She wished she could carve her God damned heart out of her flat chest and fling it to the trash can by her bed. It only seemed to bring her nothing but trouble anyhow.

Lynn sat on the edge of her bed with her head in her hands. She felt tired. Tired of fighting with herself, and tired of running through her own mind. All the negative thoughts that weighed her down only appeared to get heavier and heavier with time. She didn't like the idea of losing who she was, but could not deny who she would become. As much as she hated it, it was a part of growing up. She wanted to love and be loved, but she still wanted to be the bad ass that she was. And she was not sure if that was at all possible. Were the women she looked up to like this? Did they have a soft and tender side that drove them nuts as well? She was starting to think it was time to talk with someone about her problems and about Cory. Keeping it to herself was doing her no good and just making her stress out more. She knew there was only one person she could go to.

Lynn walked down the hall and stood in front of Lori's door. For a moment she hesitated, not knowing for sure if she wanted to bring any of her family in to her little tornado of low self-esteem and world crushing doubt. Though she knew that in the end her family would be the only ones that could probably help her. She sighed and knocked, waiting for the door to whip open with her older sister glaring at whoever dared to disturb her. Instead, when the door calmly opened, she was met with a tired woman who may or may not have actually been her sister. Lori's hair was a mess, her eyes were bloodshot, and she was without make up. She looked nothing like the older sister she was used to seeing around the house yelling at the younger kids. Just a few weeks ago when she took them all to the mall she looked fine. Maybe a bit tired, but nothing like how she looked at the moment.

"Uhh ... are you ok Lori?" Lynn asked.

"Yeah." She sighed. "Just tired. I have been staring at the frickin computer for close to three hours working on some stuff for school."

"Oh, well I'm sorry I bothered you. I'll just go." Lynn started to turn back towards her room before she felt her sisters hand on her shoulder.

"I really need a break, and if you need something then this would be the perfect excuse to get the hell away from the computer before I literally chuck it out into the street." Lori told her.

"Are you sure? I don't wanna trouble you with my stupid problems." Lynn said.

"So you have a problem? Well then now I have to put everything aside. Sister duty calls." Lori said with a smile. "Come on, lets go downstairs and split a smoothie."

Lynn sat at the table in the dinning room, nervously tapping her fingers on the table cloth while Lori was in the kitchen pulling out the remains of a strawberry and banana smoothie Leni had made that morning for breakfast. There was not a lot left, but Lori poured the remnants into two small glasses and took them out into the dinning room. She placed one in front of Lynn, then set hers down and pulled out the chair next to her sister, sitting down and taking a small sip of the frothy pink liquid.

"So tell me about this guy." Lori said, after smacking her lips at the tasty drink.

Lynn, luckily, had not taken a sip of her smoothie, otherwise it would have ended up on the floor and dripping down walls of the dinning room. She looked to her sister a perplexed as to how she knew she was having guy troubles. Lynn knew she had kept her growing feelings towards Cory a carefully guarded secret around her family. And she did not remember telling anyone anything else about the boy that occupied her mind.

"How?" Lynn said, her mind drawing a blank.

"What else would you come to me for?" Lori said. "I'm not on the top of the list for homework help or advice on any of the other things you guys are all into. I have two things that I can really help with. Becoming a woman, and boys."

Lynn nodded as that all actually made sense. Lori was not the top choice to go to for advice on a lot of things, not because she was dumb or unwilling to help, there were just so many people in that house who you could turn to and most of them had become experts in helping their family in certain departments. Then of course you had Lincoln, who seemed to know a little about how to help out each one of his sisters. Though Lynn often wondered if any of the sisters would be able to perform the task for their brother. If he needed help with something, or was struggling, would they see it? Could they help? Lynn pushed the thought out of her mind as she only had time for one problem at a time.

"Remember that guy I beat in the karate tournament?" Lynn asked.

"Yeah." Lori said. "He was pretty cute. When he wasn't trying to punch you in the face."

"Yeah, well I think he may like me." She said.

"Oh? And how do you feel?" Lori asked.

"Let's just say there are two players in this game." Lynn said.

"I see."

Lynn knew that Lori was holding in the Loud sister urge to jump up and celebrate when one of the other siblings got a crush. It started with Lori, all the girls gushing and making cute 'awwws' and kissing noises. They did it with Lincoln when Ronnie Anne would pick on him, and again with Kat, when she bought him the comic book. They also did it when Luna finally spilled her secret about Sam. It had become a tradition, one that was a lot more fun when you weren't on the receiving end. Lynn assumed Lori was going to wait to do it with the rest of girls, more than likely on Saturday when Cory came over, or right after he left.

"So what's the issue?" Lori asked.

"Well ..." Lynn was not sure if she wanted to let all the crap that had filled her mind out for her sister to see. She felt stupid that she was feeling the way she did, like it was something to be ashamed of. Though she knew she was going to have to talk about it with someone, get those feelings out. "I ... I don't really know where to start."

"You said you think you like this guy. So what is the problem?"

"Me." Lynn said.

Lori looked at her sister, one eyebrow cocked as she tried to figure out what she meant. The sad expression on Lynn's face and the drooping posture made her see that Lynn was not having guy troubles, she was having trouble with herself. Lori knew the feeling well, the over whelming feeling of self-doubt that could come over you like a tidal wave trying to drag you into the abyss. She did not like the idea of one of her siblings going through something like that.

"How are you a problem?" Lori asked.

"Because I'm not pretty or blonde." She said. "I look like a damn boy. And I am no good at playing little miss dumb and flirty like the other girls at school."

Lori felt a tug on her heart as her sisters words set in. She was the oldest and it was her responsibility to make sure they never looked at themselves as anything other than strong and beautiful women. She felt like she may have let Lynn down, not spending enough time with her and not seeing the signs earlier.

"I don't have anything a guy would want." Lynn looked down at the glass which held her drink. She let her bangs fall and cover her eyes as she blinked back tears.

Lori looked at her sister, putting a hand on her shoulder and brushing the hair from her eyes. "Bullshit." she said. "You have more to offer most guys than any of the tramps you go to school with."

Lynn was surprised by her sisters reaction. She did not often hear Lori use swear words. She would usually replace a bad word with something childish, like saying shoot instead of shit. Of course that was because the younger kids were almost always around, and they had to try to protect their innocence. Though after the incident with Lily, Lynn was pretty sure the younger kids had pretty good "potty mouths" as well.

"All of those girls are fake as hell." Lori said. "Your real, your raw, and your you. You don't make apologies for who you are, you always embrace it. So why let all the bullshit hold you down all of a sudden?

Lynn did not know what to say. Lori was right of course, but she still could not help but feel like she was not pretty enough. She still worried that Cory would not be interested in her, or that he would think she was just too much like one of the boys for him to see her as what was inside. She was worried that this would end up like Francisco all over again, and it was too soon to put herself through that kind of hurt again. And of course, she still worried about losing herself to this new person she was starting to become.

"I can't help that I feel like I'm just not pretty enough." Lynn said. "And that makes me worry about how I'm changing. I never used to care about that stuff, at least not as much as I do know."

"Lynn, every woman feels like they are not pretty enough sometimes." Lori told her. "Between TV and magazines, society has set up these impossible standards for beauty. You grow up thinking that all of those girls on TV or in those magazines wake up looking like that. I used to worry I was not pretty enough, that Bobby would end up with someone better looking."

"What did you do? How did you get over it?" Lynn said.

"Who said I did." Lori chuckled. "Those feelings never really go away. In the end you just kind of learn how to deal with them. I know Bobby loves me, and I trust him. But if he did find someone he liked more, then I would just have to remind myself that he just wasn't the right one for me. That I would find someone who thinks I am the most beauty girl in the world no matter what."

"What about the other thing?" Lynn asked.

"Everybody changes Lynn." Lori told her.

"But I'm worried that I'm gonna become ..." Lynn hesitated, almost telling her sister that she feared becoming like her or Leni.

"What like me?" Lori said. "Lynn I was obsessed with boys when I was Lincoln's age. The only thing I kind of grew out of was video games. And even then I still play from time to time."

"Yeah but acting like this, thinking like this seems so ... I don't know girly." Lynn said. "I feel like I'm not me."

"You're always going to be you." Lori told her. "You will grow and experience new feelings, but its not taking anything away from you. It's just more crap piled on to the crap you all ready got. You spent most of you life so far immersed in a world of sports and competitions. Now you're seeing there is more out there, like boys and girly feelings. There is probably a lot more stuff you are going to discover and get into."

"Why does all this new stuff make me feel so bad and confused?" Lynn asked, hoping her sister could help her settle the brewing storm in her head.

"I'm just guessing, but I would assume it's because you're experiencing a lot of different things at once." Lori said. "It seems like you're having some trouble with your self-esteem and how you look. I know that used to play hell on my mind as well. Those thoughts can turn little things into a whole shit storm of negative thoughts."

Lori words started to comfort Lynn a bit, making sense and making her see herself in a different light. All those negative feelings in her did feel like they were slowly taking hold of her. Making little things become a much bigger problem. Why did she really care if she acted girly from time to time? She was a girl after all. Hell she knew guys as school that acted girly from time to time, and they seemed like they didn't care, like it didn't make them less of a person. And it didn't. She did not judge them for being who they were, so why should she care if someone judged her for being a tough chick who sometimes squealed with delight or got a little love sick. That was just who she was.

"Thanks Lori." Lynn said, leaning over and hugging her sister.

"Anytime sis."

* * *

 **I hope you all enjoyed that. If I did it right, then you should have cried a little and hopefully hated Francisco. I have to admit that if Mike would not have been nice enough to let me use Cory, I still don't think I would have put Lynn and Francisco together. I liked the idea of having a lot of the Louds not ending up with their crushes from L is for Love.**

 **Well that's it for this one. See again on Friday.**

 **Peace**


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11: The Best Part of Waking Up**

Saturday had arrived and the butterflies in Lynn's stomach had butterflies of their own. She was nervous and excited that Cory would be coming over today to train with her. She went to the backyard and started to set up all her gear. She pulled Doug, her torso training dummy, out of the garage along with a punching bag and some mats. She hung the punching bag from a wooden set up that Lana had helped her to build, and set Doug up a couple of feet away from the punching bag. She laid out the mats and stepped back to look at the set up had bragged about earlier in the week. _You may have over sold this a bit Lynn_ , she thought to herself. Well there wasn't much she could do now, he was already coming over.

As Lynn went back inside she could feel her stomach growl. She was so busy getting everything ready that she almost forgot to eat breakfast. She went to the cupboard and pulled out a box of cereal, going with the fruit flavored sugary cereal over that healthy crap. She poured herself a bowl and splashed some milk over it. She began to chow down just as Luna entered the kitchen wearing a purple night shirt that hung to her mid thighs and black fuzzy socks with white skulls printed on them and sporting a severe case of bed head. Her short brown hair was matted down on one side of her head while bits of hair stuck up and out on the other side. She yawned and looked around the kitchen in an early morning gaze before setting her sights on the empty coffee pot. She shifted her attention towards her sister with a disheartened look.

"No brew?" Luna asked.

"Sorry, I forgot." Lynn responded, her mouth still full with half munched cereal.

"Way harsh bro." Luna shook her head as she went and started a pot of coffee. "It's a bloody good thing I was the first one up."

"Technically second." Lynn said, some half eaten cereal falling from her mouth.

"It's too early dude, it's-it's just too early." Luna shook her head, not wanting to start an early morning argument with her sister.

Luna hopped up on the kitchen counter, her feet dangling off the edge as she waited for her coffee. She noticed that Lynn was not in her early morning attire of a tank top and sleep shorts. She looked as if she had taken a shower and was already to face the day, something that was not normal for the Loud kids. No one got up before eight thirty or nine on the weekends, not unless they had something special planned.

"What's up?" Luna asked.

Lynn looked to her sister, one eyebrow raised as she wondered what Luna was referring to.

"It's ..." Luna turned to look at the little green numbers that flashed on the clock on the stove. "... eight forty-three and you're already showered and dressed. And ..." Luna sniffed the air. "Is that Lori's coconut lime shampoo I smell?"

Lynn dropped her spoon into her cereal and slumped her shoulders. She knew she should have skipped that damn shampoo. The girly side of her thought it might be good to smell like an actual girl instead of day old sweat pants masked by a pine fresh scented fabric refresher spray. Guys liked girls that smelled nice, and though Lori had a point about being herself, she figured a little change here and there wouldn't hurt too much.

"I got a friend coming over." Lynn sighed.

"Guy?" Luna asked as she hopped off the counter and started to pour herself a cup of Joe.

"Yeah."

"Cute?"

"What the hell is this, twenty flippin questions?" Lynn blurted out, getting frustrated by her sister's line of questioning.

"Maybe?" Luna said with shrug and sly smile.

"Bitch." Lynn laughed, causing Luna to laugh as well.

Luna finished loading her coffee with sugar and cream, then walked over and leaned against the counter next to her sister. "So tell me about him." Luna said.

Lynn was not sure where to begin, she did not really know much about Cory, other than he was Scottish, cute, and knew how to kick ass. She was also still a bit standoffish with opening up to her siblings, though after her talk with Lori, she noticed how good it felt to let it all out. And with her siblings she knew it was safe to let her guard down, they saw her as a teenage girl who was going through what most teenage girls went through at her age. She was conflicted, confused, and a complete mess on the inside. With her head and heart often duking it out like two drunks in a bar fighting over the last shot of whiskey. Why not spill the beans with Luna, if anyone knew about conflicting feelings and being a mental mess at times, it would be her.

"You remember that guy from my karate tournament?" Lynn said.

"He was cute." Luna leaned over and nudge her sister.

"Yeah well, he's coming over today to help me train." Lynn said, her face turning red.

"You dog." Luna joked.

"It's not like that." Lynn stated. "At least not yet."

"But you want it to be?"

"Of course. I'm just not sure if he will want it." Lynn said, her inner thoughts dragging her down again.

Luna understood all too well. She had felt the same way when she was trying to figure out if Sam was into girls and if she liked her or not. It was hell. And it was a lot worse because she had not told her family that she was bisexual. They all still thought she was the same girl that crushed on guys, not knowing that there was a special little blonde angel that stole her breath with every little sideways glance and smile. Lynn may not have been keeping a bombshell of secret like that, but she knew that Lynn was not used to dealing with all the crap that came with stressing over boys. Lynn was the tough one of the family, the one what would rather punch and wrestle than sit and gossip. Luna got it, she was not all about the mushy crap either, at least not at first.

"Wanna talk?" She asked.

"I already talked with Lori." Lynn said.

"Ah."

Luna may not have actually said much, but Lynn felt like that little word spoke volumes. Lynn quickly realized how harsh her words might have sounded, as if she were dismissing Luna's ability to give any sort of sound advice. She started to feel bad, and thought it could not hurt to have a second opinion on some things.

"Maybe I could use a talk." Lynn said in a low tone of voice.

Luna smiled and wrapped her arm around her sister, happy that she was willing to let her try to help. Fact was they had not spent much time together once Lynn found that sports was her thing. Luna missed the days when they would play together or she would sing her sister to sleep with lullabies or rock ballads.

"So what's on your mind?" Luna asked.

"I'm worried." Lynn told her. "I know Lori told me to be myself and all, but every time I do that I end up scaring the guy away."

"Is that what happened with that boy with the note?" Luna said, prompting her sister to look at her. "It was kind of obvious that things didn't go well." She said.

"He told me I was like a brother to him."

"Dick." Luna said.

Lynn shrugged her shoulders in agreement. He was a dick, but she was starting to realize that she may have dodged a bullet there. The more she thought about it the more she realized that she did not like the idea of her first kiss being with a guy like that. Still, it hurt that he rejected her, and now made her worry even more that the same thing could happen with Cory. She was still only going off of hunches, he had still yet to make his feeling known to her. There was still that fifty fifty shot that she was going end up falling flat on her face yet again.

"So you're worried you will blow it with this new dude then?" Lynn nodded, making Luna shake her head as the pieces of the puzzle continued to fall into place. "Lori tell you that any guy that didn't want you as you are was not worth it?"

"Yeah."

"Well she is the smart one when it comes to this stuff." Luna took a sip of her coffee.

"Still hurts to be rejected, though." Lynn said. "And now I worry that Cory won't like me the way I am."

"Dude, you gotta be you. And I know it sucks to feel rejected or to feel that no one will want to be with you. But sooner or later you will find someone who digs the rad chick that you are." Luna said.

"I'm hoping for sooner." Lynn said.

"Gotta have faith." Luna said.

They walked into the dinning room and sat down so that Luna could finish her coffee and Lynn could scrape the bowl for the last bits of cereal before gulping down the milk, which turned a shade of purple and now had a fruity taste. As they sat down they heard the not so subtle sounds of the rest of the kids getting out of bed upstairs. Lynn knew that soon her siblings would be down stairs and looking for breakfast. She also knew that she was going to have to talk with them about leaving her and Cory alone in the backyard. She figured she might as well start with Luna since they were sitting together anyways.

"Hey Lune, can I ask you a favor?" Lynn asked.

"Sure thing dude."

"Well I was hoping for a little privacy when he came over." Lynn said.

"Then why'd you invite him over here?" Luna said with light chuckle. "This is where privacy comes to die."

Lynn knew that truer words may have never been spoken. Anything that went on in that house was pretty much going to become family gossip. If someone wanted to keep something a secret then they would have to hold on it and never talk about it to anyone within those walls. One of the many reasons Lynn did not want to talk to her family about her inner demons. She once thought about keeping a journal, as she was not the diary type of girl, but knew that was pointless as well. Living with a snoop like Lola meant that sooner or later that journal would be found and passed around like a book of the month selection.

"It was a kind of half cocked plan." Lynn confessed.

"I will pass the word along to everyone else." Luna told her. "But once he leaves we are going to be on you like a Loud on chocolate."

"Fair enough." Lynn said. She was not sure how much she would like her sisters grilling her for info on Cory, but it was better to deal with them after the fact, rather than have them pester her while he was at the house.

* * *

 **Well there is chapter 11, hope you guys liked it. I almost cut this chapter, since it kind of mirrored Lori's, but I just really liked the interaction between Lynn and Luna.**

 **Also Sunday I will put up the sequel to Caught. So good news there. And the next chapter of this will end up coming on Christmas, so consider that a present. The next chapter Cory comes to the Loud house.**

 **Peace**


	12. Chapter 12

**Merry Christmas all. Here is the next chapter, you can consider it a Christmas present if you like :)**

 **Sorry there are any spelling or grammar errors here, this was as much a pain to edit as it was to write, that accent is just such a burden at times. But I will admit it helps add to Cory's character and charm (at least for me).**

* * *

 **Chapter 12: Heeere's Cory!**

Cory MacMillan walked down the street, his eyes darting to his smart phone and the directions Lynn had texted him the day before. He took the bus, and only had to make a few transfers before it dropped him off a few streets down from Franklin avenue by a barber shop. With both of his parents at work there was no other way he would have been able to make it to Lynn's house. Though he really didn't mind the walk as he loved to be out among the growing cold weather that reminded everyone that winter was coming. Double checking the directions on his phone he looked at the sign that said Franklin avenue, then placed the phone back in his pocket and continued his walk.

As he made his way towards the home of the girl that had kicked his butt just a few weeks ago, his mind began to race as his nerves started to get the better of him. He was not the kind of guy that got nervous about a girl, having a few girlfriends in the past. though this was different. He had never put so much work into trying to get a girl to notice him, and though Lynn had actually noticed him before, she was looking at him with hate filled eyes. He wanted her to look at him with a little less hate and a little more admiration. That took a lot of work and planning.

At first Cory was not sure if things would work out or not. The girl was so damned competitive that even if she managed to beat him he was a little worried that she would continue to hold on to that anger. Thankfully she had appeared to let it all go once she won the tournament and put him in his place. Most guys would hold a grudge if a girl had beaten them, thinking it made them look weak that a that a woman had knocked them down a peg or two. Cory never once thought of a woman as lesser the sex or anything like that. His mother, or any female member of his family, would have surely beaten the crap out him if he even thought about something like that. Lynn beating him did not bruise his ego, though his chest and jaw were still a bit sore.

After the tournament Cory noticed that Lynn had seemed to let those bitter feelings towards him go, he even noticed her blushing when he caught her looking at him a few times. He began to think that she may have started to develop a little crush of her own, noticing the way she looked at him after he helped her take those bullies out. He wanted to do a lot more to those guys for not only attacking Lynn, but for thinking it was smart to gang up three on one against anyone. He was not a fan of bullies, having to deal with them even back in Scotland when he was in school. That was the whole reason his dad started to make him take martial arts classes, to help defend himself if he ever got in a fight.

Cory walked up to the house with the address that Lynn had given him. The place looked a little rough around the edges, some shingles falling off here and there, various forgotten toys scattered on the roof and along the yard, and of course there was the mail box, which appeared to have seen much better days as it fell off the post when Cory walked past it. He put it back on the post and walked away, again hearing the clunk of metal hitting the pavement. _Screw it, I kin fix it later_ , he thought to himself.

He walked up to the door and rang the door bell, a small shock surging through his system as the bell sounded out. He pulled his finger back and sucked in air from his teeth as he hissed in pain, he then put his finger in his mouth to cool the slight burning sensation. _Damn house is gonna murder me_. He waited as he shook the pain from his finger and eyed the door bell like an old arch nemesis of his. Soon he heard the patter of feet on the other side. The door swung open, a little girl in overalls and a red cap stood in front of him. On her shoulder sat a small frog the looked to have no care in the world about what was going on. The girl smiled at him.

"Hi!" She said with excitement, smiling at him.

"Hello thare. Aren't ye a fine young lass." Cory said.

"What's a lass?" Lana said a bit confused.

"A little girl wha is adorable." Cory told her.

"Eck!" Lana stuck her tongue out in disgust. "I hate being adorable. That's more Lolas thing, I like to be tough and dirty." She stuck her thumbs between the straps of her overalls and puffed out her chest with a big proud grin.

Cory chuckled to him himself, finding the young girl to be quite adorable indeed, despite how she may have felt about it. He knelt down to her level, his eyes darting left and right, and leaned closer to her as if he were about to reveal a national secret.

"Kin ah share a secret wi' ye?" He asked in a hushed whisper.

"Sure, I love secrets." She said with quiet excitement.

"Ah hate adorable to. Ah would much rather wrestle in the mud."

Lana's face lit up as if she had met Santa Claus. "Really? We should go play in the mud, I got a great pit in the backyard." She reached for Cory's arm and was about to drag him into the backyard with her.

Lynn and Luna had come out of the dinning room and walked to the door to see who Lana was talking to. Once Lynn's eyes had met Cory's, she felt a small blush creep across her cheeks. Luna took notice and smiled at her sister. She walked to were Cory and Lana were standing and released her sisters grip on the young man. Lana jerked her head around to look at Luna, the corners of her mouth drooping into a small frown.

"Careful little dude, you don't wanna pull his arm out." Luna told her little sister. She looked to Cory and gave a slight head bob. "Sup dude, I'm Lynn's sister Luna." The young rocker introduced herself. "And this little pigpen is Lana."

"Did you hear? He likes to play in the mud to!" Lana said with such excitement that Luna thought she was going to burst.

"I heard little dude. But I think he is here to play with Lynn today." Luna's eyes shifted to her sister who still stood smiling and blushing. "We should go upstairs and play for a bit, give them some privacy."

"Awwwww" Lana said, hanging her head in disappointment.

Cory knelt back down and looked Lana in the eyes with a bright wide smile. "Dinna fash yirself, ah will come back tae play with ye in the mud next time." He told her, booping her on her button nose.

"Promise?" She asked.

"Promise."

Both Luna and Lana walked up stairs, the older sister glancing again towards Lynn, who looked at her sister with eyes that said "thank you". Luna smiled back a "you're welcome" before walking up the step and disappearing around the corner of the second floor hall.

Lynn walked over to Cory, who was taking in the surrounding sights. The inside of the house almost matched the outside. It was nice, but you could tell that it had seen a lot of fights and repair jobs over the years. Even the wall that led upstairs had a few dents and dings, almost as if there had been a few wrestling matches that had taken place on the stairs themselves. Cory could tell that loud was a lot more than just a name to this family, it looked like a lifestyle choice.

"Glad you could make it." Lynn said.

"Sorry a'm a wee early, hope that's a'right?" He said.

"No it's totally fine." Lynn said

"So where is this killer setup ye got?" Cory asked.

"Huh? Oh it's uh ... it's in the backyard here." Lynn said. "Back through the kitchen here."

Lynn led Cory into the dinning room and around the long rectangular table, going through to the kitchen and to the back door. She paused for a moment and turned to looked at the attractive boy that stood in front of her. She figured she might as well come clean with her over selling of the training set up she had.

"So I may have over sold it a bit." She told him.

"A'm sure it will work oot fine." He reassured her.

Lynn opened up the back door and they stepped into the backyard. Cory looked at the little set up Lynn had for herself. She was not lying when she said that she may have over sold it. Though none of that mattered, if he were to be honest with himself he was not there for a killer set up. He was not even really there to show Lynn a few moves. He was there because she was there, and he wanted to spend some time with her. Cory couldn't care less if they were in the backyard training or in the living room watching a marathon of Dream Boat. He just wanted to be around Lynn, even if it was only for a few moments. He wanted to get to know her better and to show her that he was a good guy and worth taking a chance on.

"Well I think we kin work wi' this." He told her. "Ah mean we're nae really doing much." Cory said. "Ah was just going tae show ye a few o' mah moves." He noticed a slight blush and smile after he told her that. He quickly picked up on what she was thinking, and smiled himself. "Guess ah could hae phrased that better."

"I'm not complaining." She said, her cheeks still a bit rosey.

They walked over to the mats that Lynn had set up earlier. Cory removed his hoodie and rolled up the sleeves on his shirt. The cool autumn air bit at his bare forearms and face as a sharp wind blew in also tussling his hair. He got into a stance and motioned for Lynn to come at him.

"Come at me slow." He said.

She stepped on to the mat and moved towards him slowly, simulating an attack. She raised her fist and punched at Cory, at about half the speed she would normally throw a punch. Cory blocked her attack and stepped in to her. He slowly brought his knee up towards her midsection, lightly grazing her, then lightly gripped her throat as he swept her feet out from under her, bringing her down to the mat.

"What was that?" Lynn said, taking Cory's hand as he helped her up.

"Something ah saw in a movie th' other night. Thought it looked cool." He said with a shrug and a smile.

"And here I thought you would show me something a little more tournament friendly." Lynn said.

"Thought it would be more fun tae mess around a wee bit."

"Well in that case I just have one question for you?" Lynn asked.

"What would that be?"

"You a wrestling fan?"

Cory raised a perplexed eyebrow as he was not sure where Lynn was going with this. He did not watch much pro wrestling but tried out for the amateur team a year ago. He was not a big fan of the way the tights felt. That was what was great with all his different martial arts, the uniforms were all loose fitting cloths that didn't feel like the were trying to smother his nether regions.

Lynn, keeping a hold of Cory's hand, spun behind him and forced his forearm into a hammerlock position while maintaining control of his wrist. Cory tried to struggle out but was met with a slight turn of the wrist that sent a small prick of pain into his joints with every attempt to escape the hold. He let out a sigh as he tried to figure out how to escape the hold.

"Learned this watching WCW." She leaned in and whispered into his ear.

Her hot breath on the back of his neck made his heart race a little faster as a lustful image flashed across his mind. He quickly pushed the thought from his brain before he would have to lie and tell her that he was holding a roll of quarters in his pocket. That would be an embarrassing situation he was not sure he would be able to live down.

"Ye know that stuff is a' scripted right?" He told her.

Lynn sucked in air through her gritted teeth, her face twisting in a painful expression like she had been body slammed onto a bed of thumbtacks. "Shouldn't have said that."

"Why nae?" He asked.

"Because now I gotta take you down." She told him.

Lynn quickly went to one knee, releasing Cory from his hold, and grabbed at his ankles. She pulled his legs out from under him, sending him crashing to the mat with a loud thud. Cory quickly flipped over to his side and swept at Lynn's legs, the sporty young girl managed to jump over the attempted move with ease. Cory rolled backwards and shot back to his feet with the same cocky smile he had during the tournament. Remembering what little he had learned during his short time wrestling, Cory went in for a waist lock, trying to go behind Lynn and pick her up off her feet to take her to the mat. Lynn ducked under and went behind Cory, locking on to his waist. She tried to pick him up and flip him over back down to the mat, but Cory entwined his leg with hers, preventing her from getting the leverage to get him over. He unlocked her grip around his waist and tossed her with a simple Judo throw over his hip and onto the mat. Cory fell on top of her and pinned her arms down.

"Ye give up?" He asked.

"What's that?" Lynn asked.

"What's what?

"Something is digging into my hip." She told him.

Cory's face went bright red has his eyes grew in a state of awkward panic. He quickly shot up off her and turned away in embarrassment. He had gotten so caught up in what was going on that he didn't even notice that he was … Cory stopped thinking for a second and looked down. A sly grin crept across his face as he turned back toward Lynn who had her own devilish grin painted on.

"Gotcha." She said.

"That's a clatty trick." He said.

"If that means a dirty trick, then yeah it was. " Lynn shrugged.

After they had finished their sparring session, Lynn went inside to get them some water. As she took a couple of bottles from the fridge she noticed a few heads peeking around the corner of the door way into the dinning room. She knew it was her sisters, hovering and waiting to get their chance to talk to her about the boy she invited over. She ignored them and when back outside. Lynn handed Cory a bottle, sitting beside him on the porch. They sat in silence for a moment as they both gulped down most of the water.

Cory enjoyed the moment, almost wishing it would not end. He sat and looked out over the backyard, the large tree that had given up it's leaves to the autumn weather. The scattered toys and sports equipment that lay on the ground like fallen idols of a long forgotten battle. The little dog house with the white and black pooch resting inside. And of course there was the lovely girl sitting beside him. It felt unlike the apartment where he lived. This place felt like a home.

"You never told me why you moved here." Lynn asked, splintering the silence.

"Hmmm?"

"Why you moved to Royal Woods?"

"Mah grandmother." He told her. "Mah mother is actually from th; states. She grew up in Huntington Oaks."

"Oh, that's too far from here."

"Aye." He said. "She came back because she missed her family. 'n' …" He trailed off, the images of his grandmothers finally days coming back to him.

Lynn took Cory's hand, sensing that he needed the support to finish what he was saying. He looked over to her and gave a weak smile to thank her.

"Mah grandmother had cancer." He told her. "We came back so we could be wi' her at th' end."

"I-I'm sorry." Lynn said, feeling bad for making him have to relive it all over again.

"Tis a'right, twas awhile ago." He told her. "It still hurts but a'm glad she is na longer suffering."

Lynn gave his hand a firm squeeze. Cory looked to her, the way her eyes caught the sunlight and how her hair, having come out from her ponytail, rested on her shoulders. She looked beautiful. She always looked beautiful to him, but in that moment she looked like an angel sent to hold his heart and keep it safe. He wanted to lean in and kiss her, to feel the warmth of her lips against his. Though he was pretty sure if he made a move on her without notice she would sock him, and although he could take the punch, he didn't want to ruin the moment.

"So do you miss Scotland?" Lynn asked.

"A wee bit." He told her, "Ah was only eight whin we came 'ere. So ah was aye tae young to really remember all that much." He said. "Ah do remember mah maw would take me fur walks around St. Andrews Square to look at the Melville Monument. Parently that was whare she had first met mah da whin she was visiting before she started school. Said 'twas one o' her favorite spots in th' world after that."

"That sounds nice." Lynn said, scooting closer to him. "What else do you remember?"

"She once took me tae Heriot Row 'n' Queens Street Gardens." He told her. "'twas where Robert Louis Stevenson grew up. We stood ootdoors fur an hour 'n' looked at th' building. She told me that mah grandmother would read it tae her when she was a baim, aye making her reread it after she finished." Cory put his arm around Lynn and drew her in closer. "She said that was some o' her fondest memories o' mah grandmother."

"Did you do anything with your dad?" Lynn asked.

"Mah da worked a lot, trying tae keep us out o' th' poor house he would say." Cory told her. "Though thare was one time that ah remember he took me tae see th' Wallace Monument in Stirling. He said 'twas important fur we wur supposed tae be th' descendants o' William Wallace." Cory chuckled to himself. "Though whin ah looked it up ah could ne'er find actual proof that William Wallace had any children. But ah like th' idea that we are in th' identical bloodline. It makes me feel more important ye know, like a'm special."

"You don't have to be the descendant of anyone to be Important." Lynn said. "I think you're special."

"Cheers lass." Cory said.

They sat in silence for a moment. Cory noticed how relaxed Lynn had become, a great turn around from the mess of nerves she was when he first arrived to the house. He was glad that she was starting to feel more comfortable around him.

"Do you want to go back?" Lynn asked.

"Some day." He told her. "It would be crakin' tae see it all again. But thare are also alot o' other places a'm wantin tae see as well."

As the day went on and the sun started its decent in to the west, Cory helped Lynn to put away all the equipment they never touched. They folded up the mat and placed them back into the garage, then dragged Doug in and place him next to a stack of boxes filled with Christmas ornaments. They stuck the punching bag on top of a few opened boxes filled with things that family probably forgot they still owned. When they wee all done Lynn walked with Cory around the side of the house and to the side walk. They ignored the fact that eight faces were peeking through the curtains in the window, their eyes watching every move that Lynn and Cory made. They stopped at the mail box, which still rested on the ground near where it fell earlier.

"Can I ask you something kind of personal before you go?" Lynn asked

"Sure."

"Why did you tell my friend you wanted to face me in the finals at the tournament?"

"Heh." Cory chuckled. "Ah knew ye hated me." He told her.

"I didn't .. " She tried to stammer out.

Cory cocked his eye brow and gave her a look that stopped her mid sentence. It was a look that told her there was no use in lying, he knew it and it was not a big deal. Still, Lynn felt uncomfortable that he knew she once hated him. She was just glad that he was unaware of the dart board with the crude drawing she made of him.

"Ok maybe a little." Lynn said.

"Ah guessed 'twas because ye are so driven tae be th' best that a'body wha stood in yer way would naturally become yer enemy." Cory said, which Lynn nodded in agreement with. "So ah figured if ye eventually beat me then ye would git ower that hate."

"Oh?"

"Sin' a'm just letting it a' oot 'ere Lynn, ah might as well tell ye that it a' goes back tae whin ah first saw ye." Cory said.

"What happened then?"

"Ye took mah breath awa'." He told her.

The words shook Lynn's very being to her core. No one had ever said anything like that to her before. She could feel her heart beating faster, pounding inside her chest like a drum. She had spent the past few days wondering how Cory felt. Hoping that maybe, just maybe she had finally met someone who didn't see the same thing that she saw when she looked in the mirror. Someone that was able to look past all of that and see who she really was on the inside.

"I-I don't know what to say." Lynn said.

"Say that yer interested 'n' seeing whare this kin lead as well." Cory said.

"I wouldn't mind seeing where this could lead." Lynn told him.

"Good." Cory said. "Then how about we go out some time?"

"I'd like that." Lynn said.

"Well then ah guess a' we hae left tae dae is tae make plans."

"I'll think of something and text you later." Lynn said, thinking that she could get some help from her sisters.

"I look forward tae it Lynn Loud." Cory said.

Before Cory left he leaned in and lightly kissed Lynn on the cheek, both of them blushing afterwards. Lynn walked back to the house as Cory began his journey home. The whole time his mind flooded with thoughts of the girl that was stealing his heart.

* * *

 **So I hope everyone liked it. I want to say that if you were hoping for more interaction between Cory and the Louds, I do apologize. When writing this story I was still feeling his character out, and I did not want to make Mike and everyone else wait too long while I did this. IF Cory and Lynn end up together, we may see more interaction in the future.**

 **Well that's if for now, see you all again on Wednesday. And if you did not already do it, don't forget to check out Merry Pranksmas for some very inappropriate fun.**

 **Peace**


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13: Dating 101**

Lynn stood in front of the bathroom mirror for a while after her shower, looking at her reflection. Her tomboy looks had often bothered her, making her wish she were anybody else. Yet this time she saw something else, something that did not make her want to put her fist into the mirror. She saw herself as something more than a tomboy, she saw herself as a woman. Lynn smiled at her own reflection for the first time in years.

She had a date coming up with a guy that was cute enough to get any girl in school that he wanted, and he wanted her. The thought both excited and terrified her. That little nagging voice in the back of her head told her that the boy of her dreams was simply slumming it by going out with her. That he only saw her as an easy lay, then he would move on to the next piece of ass. That was the side of her that she was trying to silence with duct tape and threats of mental torture. The other side, that little angel that sat on her left shoulder, told her that she should be excited. A cute boy that was actually nice, nothing like the last douche bag she had a crush, was interested in her. Someone she liked happened to like her as well. He not only told her he had a crush on her, but that she stole his breath away. Her. The girl with the flat chest, freckles, and left hook that could put any boy flat on his ass. The tomboy that had struck out three times already. And she was the one that stole his breath away.

As Lynn finished getting dressed she thought about the lack of plans she had for her date with Cory. She was out of her element with this. Her best ideas were to go to a hockey game or to one of the local indy wrestling shows. She thought she heard something about a monster truck rally coming to town or something. Those were all good ideas, if she were going to hang out with a friend. This was supposed to be a date. Lynn knew nothing about dates, nothing about what to do or what to wear or where to … well the point was that she knew nothing.

Thankfully Lynn lived in a house with nine other girls, seven of which would love to throw their two cents in on what she should do on a date. Eight if she caught Lisa in one of those moods where she wanted to pull herself away from her experiments and help her siblings. Then there was Lincoln. Sweet and helpful Lincoln. She knew that he would be willing to help her out. Although she had to admit that she did not want Lincoln's help. Well that was not true. She felt that she did not deserve Lincoln's help. He bent over backwards to help out his sisters, while she could not really remember the last time that she did anything to help him. She knew where she had to go.

Lynn walked out of the bathroom and turned towards Lori's door. She knocked and waited for her sister to answer, all the while wondering what she was walking into. Lynn heard some shuffling and mild cursing coming from the other side of the door and Lynn began to wonder if she had made a mistake bothering her sister. Sure she was cool the other day, but Lori was often prone to wild mood swings. She wondered which Lori was going to answer the door.

"What?" An annoyed Lori said as she opened the door to her lair.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to disturb you." Lynn said, again turning to walk away.

"No, no wait." Lori said. "I'm sorry, I am just …" She sighed. "The stress it getting to me. What's up?"

"I need help." Lynn said, her tone sounding defeated and pathetic.

"With?" Lori asked, raising her eyebrow and stroking her chin.

Lynn was pretty sure that Lori knew what she was there. After Cory had left her sisters tried to grill her for an hour on what exactly happened, and what they had talked about. She played it as cool as she could. She told them that what she knew about him, that she liked him, and that he was really nice. She happened to avoid letting then in on the fact that she had a date with him, knowing full well the kind of storm that would bring on. Yet now she was standing in front of her older sister because she had not one clue what to do on a date or how to dress. She hated to admit it, but she was going to need that storm to come and help her out.

"I uh ... " Lynn started before letting out a heavy sigh. "I got a date."

"It's about time." Lori smile. "You really should have just told us when he asked you out earlier." Lori stepped aside and motioned for her sister to enter her room. "Step into my office."

Lynn walked into Lori's room, one she shared with the second eldest Leni. It had been a little while since she had been in the room the belonged to her two oldest sisters, as Lori had not held a sibling meeting since she started taking classes online. In fact, it had been close to four months since they last had an official sibling meeting with all the kids there.

The room was a complete contrast in styles. At one time there was an almost seamless blend from Lori's part of the room over to Leni's. Aside from a few odds and ends here and there, maybe a photo of Bobby or one of Leni's fashion magazines, you would not know who lived on which side. Yet now things had taken a sharp turn. Leni's side of the room remained the same for the most part, except for a few papers with big red A's marked on them that sat on a desk. Lori's side however, was now looking more like the messy college dorm room that she had almost ended up in. Her cloths were strewn about all over her side of the room, while her laptop now replaced the photo shrine she once had of Bobby on her dresser. Empty cans of energy drinks littered the floor as well as some dirty cloths and crumbled up papers.

Lori motioned for Lynn to have a seat, brushing aside some bras and panties that littered her bed and sat next to her. "So what do you need?" She asked.

"I have no clue what to do for a date." Lynn confessed. "I am way out of my element here."

"Yeah I can see that." Lori said. "Well you came to the right woman. Bobby has literally taken me on more dates than I think anyone has ever gone on."

"So you can help?" Lynn asked.

"Yes. But I think we may need to bring in some help." Lori got up off the bed and went back to the door, leaning out into the hall. "We got a code 44!" She yelled out into the hallway.

There was a rumbling like a heard of mad charging rhinos were making their way towards Lori's room. Soon Lynn found herself surrounded by her sisters, all of whom were engaged in their own conversations as they planned, discussed, and yelled out ideas for Lynn. She wondered if this is what Lincoln felt like when he had to deal with his sisters interjecting themselves into his love life. She suddenly felt a twinge of guilt at all the times they had meddled in his affairs, as this was very intimidating.

"Ok people, settle." Lori commanded the army of girls. "First we get the details, then make a plan of action." She shifted her gaze to Lynn who sat on the edge of the bed. "What is our time limit here?"

"We were thinking of meeting up this Saturday." Lynn said.

"Hmmm." Lori stood and stroked her chin .. "You have any cloths picked out or a hair appointment?"

"Nope."

"Leni front and center." Lori commanded, bringing the second eldest sister up with a salute. "We need an outfit."

Leni stepped up to Lynn and walked back and forth while eyeing her sister. She removed a tape measure from somewhere, which was odd as Lynn had not noticed any pockets on her sisters dress. She took some measurements and stepped back, once again sizing her up.

"I'm thinking a red lace up top, strapless and off the shoulders. Maybe some black leggings and red suede boots." Leni said. "And a black fabric military style jacket to pull the look together." Leni turned to her sisters getting nods of approval at the ideas.

"I like it." Lori commented.

"How do you feel about a purse?" Leni asked Lynn.

"They're great for knocking creeps out." Lynn said.

"Ooook, no on the purse." Leni remarked.

"I will work on hair." Lori stated. "Luna you are on reservations. Some place kind of fancy but not too expensive. And please no pubs."

"Come on dude." Luna pleaded.

"This is Lynn's thing not yours." Lori said. "Getting felt up at a pub is not something Lynn is interested in."

Lynn thought about it for a minute, the image of Cory's hands running all over her. It was not an unpleasant thought. Still, Lynn figured it was a little too early to go that far. Though she could still think about it.

"Luan and Lucy I want you two to work on conversation." Lori said. "No puns and no talk about death. I want light flirting and mild jokes." Both girls sighed. "Pleasant conversation please."

Lucy and Luan exchanged glances, both wondering what they would be able to come up with. They knew that Lori chose them because they were good with words and keeping things entertaining. Though it would be tough to not throw in some puns or short poems about the shedding of this mortal coil.

"Lana and Lisa I want you two to come up a with a perfume for Lynn to wear on the date. Something that could be a signature scent." Lori said.

"So sweat and fear?" Lisa joked, getting a nice laugh from Luan. "Thank you, our second oldest sibling suggested I make attempts at humor and light banter, or "lighten up" as she put it."

"Lana find some flowers that will smell good." Lori said.

"I'm not good at that." Lana said.

"Find what ever makes you want to puke." Lori said. "That means we will all like it. Then give it to Lisa, who will make it into a nice perfume."

Lynn was not sure how she felt about smelling all girly. She was already struggling to fight against her natural instincts when it came to having her hair done and wearing a dress. Now she was going to have to smell like a french whore as well. She began to wonder if Cory was worth it. Then she thought back to the kiss on the cheek that he gave her before he left, and decided that she could handle smelling like flowers or whatever they came up with.

"Lola." Lori said, prompting the young princess to step forward. "You will handle etiquette. I want our girl here to be lady like." Lori told the little pink princess, getting a salute from her.

"You can count on me Lori." Lola said.

"Alright people, we have four days." Lori said. "Lets make this night special dammit."

* * *

 **Well that was the set up for Cory and Lynn's first date. How did you like it? Now I know some of you are going to want to point out that Lori just went against everything she just told her sister a few chapters ago. I know, I saw that as well. At first I was going to go back in and try to rework it, but then it hit me. The sisters do not meddle in each others affairs just because, no, they do it because it is encoded in their DNA. This is who they are collectively. It's instinct. So Lori and the other girls just went into that mode when they found out Lynn was going on a date, not even thinking they were trying to change Lynn, much the way they did with Lucy. Habits are hard to break. Of course there is another reason this all happened but we won't see any of that for another few chapters.**

 **Hope you guys enjoyed this and had a great Christmas. See you in a few days for the next chapter.**

 **Peace**


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14: Are You Ready?**

Saturday evening had finally arrived, and it had not come fast enough for Lynn. Sure she was excited to go on her date with Cory, that was the main reason she was happy for Saturday. The other reason was that she had finally passed her sisters dating boot camp. Four days of training, modeling, and being corrected on every little detail. It was hell. Thankfully now it was over. No more working with Luan and Lucy on what to say on the date and when to laugh at jokes that were not funny. Though that part would be easy since she lived with Luan. Lola had taught her how to act like a proper lady, so that meant no cutting one loose to make room for desert. That was going to be difficult. Luna had made reservations at a nice restaurant, one that was not too high in the price range. Lisa and Lana had come through on the perfume, finding the right combination of flowers to make a scent that was indeed unique to her. That just left Leni and Lori, both of whom worked on Lynn's appearance.

Though Lynn did take note of just how difficult it was for some of her sisters to do what Lori asked them to do. Both Luan and Lucy looked like they were in hell trying to hold back adding conversations about death or tacking on a terrible pun. At one point Luan had actually had to tape her mouth shut and write everything down.

Poor Lana came back from flower hunting with a handful of wildflowers that even Lynn had to admit smelled amazing. Lana looked like she had picked a fight with a wild bear after a rough night drinking at a frat house. Vomit stained her overalls and her eyes were red and puffy. It almost looked as though Lana was allergic to all the cute crap.

Lola managed to demonstrate just how bad her temper was, and why she would make a terrible coach in the world of beauty contests. She managed to abuse both the walls and her various stuffed animals while coaching Lynn in the art of being a proper lady. At one point the tiny temperamental tot had tossed her tea party table, flipping it in a fit of anger, and flinging tea cups and imaginary cookies around the room. Lynn also managed to learn just what swear words her little sister knew, some of them even new to Lynn herself.

Yet when it was all said and done, the girls had managed to get Lynn prepared for her date with Cory. Though now Lynn was left to wonder about it all. Despite the chat that she had with her sister a few days ago, Lori was now trying to change everything about her. She set the girls on a mission to make Lynn into something she was not, like putting lipstick on a pig. A small smile crept across her face as she compared herself to a barnyard animal. The little devil on her shoulder could not help itself in poking the sad and broken part of her soul, hoping it was wake up and show her it's variation of the truth. She let out a breath and sighed. She would not go down that road again. Or would she? Wasn't that sort of what she was doing now? Hiding the true Lynn Loud behind a fake ass plastic doll copy of what a girl should be. When she asked Lori why she was doing all of this her sister simply replied with "That's how dating is." Making Lynn wonder if dating was indeed something she wanted to do or not. Maybe all of this was not her thing after all. Maybe she was the girl who was better off just hanging out with boys and not dating them. Maybe that was just her nerves getting the better of her again. _God I wish I could drink_ , Lynn thought to herself.

Lynn sat in front of Lori's mirror and looked at the smokey eye shadow and crimson color of her lips. Her hair was cut short towards the top of her neck, with her bangs hanging just above he eyes, so that her hair almost seemed like an auburn frame around her face. She had on the outfit that Leni had designed and made for her. Looking at the reflection staring back at her she could not help but think that she did indeed look kind of sexy. So why did she feel like a fool? Was it because she was not used to dressing up? Or was if because she knew that this was not her? The girl looking back at her was not the real Lynn Loud. Not the Lynn Loud that could kick ass on any court or field she found herself on. Not the Lynn Loud that had taken the fight to many bullies, sending them crying home to their mommas. No, this was the Lynn Loud that let her own personal insecurities get the better of her. This was that fake plastic copy of Lynn Loud that bought into the whole charade of make up, pretty dresses, and fake smiles. And why was she changing into that fake girl? To impress a boy who already said he liked her the way that she was. The her that wore gym cloths even when she wasn't in a gym. The her that only wore make up on Halloween. Her stomach growled at her. Normally she knew it would be the five spicy meatball subs that she would eat for lunch, barking to let her know they were working their way back out. This time it was her gut warning her about something. Her spider sense so to speak.

"If you gotta fart, go to the bathroom and let it out now." Lori said as she came up behind her. "Last thing you need is to clear the restaurant with one of those stink bombs."

"For once it's not gas." Lynn said. "I'm nervous."

"You nervous?" Lori scoffed. "I have literally seen you charge head first into three opposing players on a football field. Why are you nervous about a date with a guy that already said he likes you?"

"I'm worried that I am going to screw this up." She said. "This is not me. I'm not the cute girl. I'm the girl who would rather knock the cute girl upside the head."

"Lynn you have always been cute." Lori told her. "You were just too stupid to see that. Just like the boys were too stupid to see it. This guy is smart, you have no reason to be nervous."

Lynn smiled at her sister.

"So you know the plan?" Lori asked, making sure Lynn remembered what to do.

"Yeah." Lynn said. "We meet at the restaurant at seven. I let him order for me."

"Because it makes them feel important." Lori said.

The first time Lori told her that it made her laugh. Lynn had not realized just how fragile the male ego could be. Sure she had bruised a few during her marital arts competitions, and on the basketball court, and with pretty much any other sport she played. But to have a man bruise his ego with the way a woman acted on date or in a relationship, well that one was a surprise to her. It just seemed silly.

"Then?" Lori asked.

"Then we have some light conversation while we wait for our food." Lynn said.

"And no sports talk or inappropriate discussions. A few flirtatious jokes here and there are fine."

The amount of rules was making Lynn feel like she was about to meet the queen or the president. The list of what not to do was ten times longer than the list was what she could do.

"And what happens when dinner arrives?" Lori asked.

"When dinner arrives I take only small bites." Lynn said.

"That's right. No wolfing the food down." Lori reminded her.

Judging by what she had seen on the restaurants online menu she was not sure there would be enough food on the plate to wolf down anyways. Everything looked like it came out of a fancy ass lunchable pack. She was not sure the food would be worth the amount of money they were going to pay.

"Very good." Lori said. "What about the end of the date?"

"Then at the end of the date we kiss." Lynn said.

"And nothing else." Lori added.

"Well you're no fun." Lynn joked.

"Trust me, it's better to wait on some things." Lori remarked, remembering a certain mistake she had made before Bobby. "Well I think you are ready sis."

"Thanks again Lori." Lynn said, hugging her sister.

They walked downstairs to the living room where all the siblings and her parents were waiting to get a glimpse of Lynn dressed for her date. It was rare to see Lynn dress up at all for any occasion, let alone to actually where a dress and make up. Her mom wiped away a tear, as did her dad. The girls all ran over hugging her and whispering words of encouragement in her ear. Even Lincoln smiled, walking over and kissing her on the cheek.

"You look beautiful sis." He told her.

"Thanks bro." Lynn said.

The over whelming amount of support was nice. Unnecessary but nice. She thanked and kissed everyone for their help with getting ready. As the time was getting closer, Lori motioned for her to get in Vanzilla so they could be on their way. Lori was nice enough to offer to drive her to her date. Lynn told everyone that she would give details when she got home, though she doubted she would actually follow through on that. They went out and got in Vanzilla and drove off. Soon Lynn would meet Cory at the restaurant and the date would begin.

Cory stood in his bedroom looking down at the cloths he had laid out for the evenings date. He wanted to go for a more casual look, but when Lynn sent him the text that they were meeting at La Mensa's for dinner, he figured he should look a little nicer than jeans and a flannel.

Before him was a pair of ash gray slacks, a black dress shirt with an ash gray sports coat. It was an outfit he wore to a Christmas party that his father's company held the previous year. That was a night he would have rather forgotten. It was the first time he saw his parents drunk, as they dipped a little too heavily into the eggnog. He had learned that night that his parents were the flirty and handsy kind of drunks, who were so not shy when it came to public displays of affection. And not the simple kisses and hand holding kind of stuff, he saw open mouth teenager like make out sessions. Not what you wanted to see your parents doing.

Cory checked the time on his phone, it was five forty-five, and he lived within walking distance of the restaurant. This left him with plenty of time to kill, or in his case stress about the date. Cory was of course looking forward to it, though he had to admit there was now added pressure as they were going to a fancy restaurant, something he was not aware that Lynn was into doing. He thought she was more the burger and fries kind of girl, not the fine food and candles kind. He was not going to complain, as long as he got to spend some time with the girl that knocked him around on the mat, the one that starred in all of his favorite late night dreams. Still, he wished he did not have to wear that damn suit. No matter how many times his mother told him he was adorable in it, he hated it. Dressing up was not something he liked to do.

His mother would get off work at seven, so again he had the whole apartment to himself. He walked out to the kitchen in his shorts and socks to get a drink and to clear his head. The few dates he had been on in the past had come to mind, and how much he always hated those last few hours before the date. It was during this time that his mind would over analyze every little detail with a micron microscope. He really did not care about the details all that much, it was just his nerves kicking in and looking for something to stress over. Most of the time he was as laid back as a person could get. What else was he supposed to do, stress about the fact that his parents were hardly ever home? Worry about how TV shows and books were starting to teach him more life lessons than the people that brought him into the world? That would just lead him down a stress filled road that came out at heart attack avenue. He did not want to have heart troubles and ulcers at an early age. So he rolled with the punches that life threw at him.

Filling a glass with some water he took a sip and watched as the sun was just now barely peeking above the horizon. The bright orange and red was giving way to the purple and black of a twilight sky. It was a very relaxing image, something that made him push the thoughts and building pressure of this date out his mind. Two years of planing had led to this, and he should have been relieved to be where he was. Yet something was just not sitting right with him. And he could not figure out what it was.

Cory went back to his room and got dresses. He combed his hair and put on deodorant and splashed a bit of cologne on. He wanted to smell good. Finally, he checked himself in the mirror. God he hated that suit.

"Well laddie, this is it." He said to his reflection. "Two years in th' making, 'n' ye finally made it. Now lets hae a go nae tae screw it up."

* * *

 **Well there we go, they are off on their first date. Wonder how things will go? Sad to say you are going to have to wait until next year to find out. Yeah ok that was a crappy joke, but what do you expect from a guy who has been working on a Luan Loud story? (Prankmas and she is one of the main focuses of the next Katverse story)**

 **Since this is the last post of the year I want to take a second to thank some people. I want to thank Underrated Hero. His story Requiem for a Loud was what inspired me to start writing fan fiction in the first place. I also want to thank Fallen Pens for being the first person to chat with me on here. Omega Ultra and TakeBackTheFalls for being cool people that write awesome stories that also help inspire me. cabgrant for calling me out on something and giving me the idea to make Lincoln older (seriously that is why I am pushing all these characters into the future). I want to thank some of the people I am reading on here, for helping me to try and be better by putting out stories that I am just loving, and am trying to live up to (Witch-King Angmar, Stall Walt, SoI'llKillYou, AberrantScript, Flagg1991). Codymitchell1 for saying he is my number one fan (thanks buddy). Mike The Red Engine for letting me use Cory and for always commenting on my stuff. TheWhiplashEffect for talking with me, and just being an awesome person. J-Russ for helping to remember shit that I forgot, and always helping to fuel my creativity.**

 **Last but certainly not lest, I want to thank all of you who have written to me and all of you who are reading and commenting (or not). I have not been on this site long, at least not writing on here long, but this has just been a kick ass few months and a hell of good end to the year. You all brought the joy or writing back into my life, and I just hope that I have entertained a few of you as well. So thank you again, and I hope everyone has a safe and happy new year.**

 **Ok I have droned on long enough.**

 **Peace**


	15. Chapter 15

**First chapter of the new year people. Now we get to find out what happened on that date.**

* * *

 **Chapter 15: What Happened?**

It was getting close to eight fifteen. Lori knew because she had made sure to check the time on her phone for the past hour and fifteen minutes, almost every five minutes or so. This was nothing new to her, it was something she often used to to when Bobby had still lived in town. What was new, however, was the feeling of worry that settled near the back of her brain, a small throbbing ball of nerves that whispered her sisters name with each beat of her heart. It was Lynn Loud's first date and Lori could not help but worry. She was worried she may have pushed Lynn into something, turning her first date into a grand production that was well beyond what the fourteen-year-old girl could handle. Lori wondered if she should have planned something out that was more Lynn's speed. Batting cages could have been fun for them.

Most of the girls had already gone to their rooms for the night, growing tired of waiting in the living room with Lori and her constant worrying. Leni went upstairs to work on more designs, feeling particularly inspired by her outfit she designed for Lynn. Lisa retired to her room to work on a special experiment for her friend Darcy, something to do with a cat. Lola went to her room to have a tea party, while Lana decided to give Lola's princess cruiser a tune up. Lucy said she wanted to start work on a novel that she got an idea for. Luna and Luan went to their room to work on their own little projects. And with Lilly asleep in her crib, Rita and Lynn Sr. went to bed early.

This left Lori and Lincoln, who sat on the couch and started to watch an episode of The Flash on the CW. Lori was not sure she would like a show about superheroes, but managed to look past all the silly costumes and fights, finding comfort in the romantic tension between the cast of characters. Although she was not a fan of Barry and Iris, instead hoping for Barry and his scientific coworker Caitlin to get together. Lincoln of course couldn't care less, he was all about the costumes and action, and of course giggled like a school girl at the various nods to the fanboys with hidden references to the comics.

It was nearing eight forty-five, and the show was about to start its final act when the front door burst open with a loud crash. Lori and Lincoln jumped, clutching their chests and hoping their hearts would not pop like balloons. Lynn stormed in looking like a mess. Her hair was sticking up and out in various directions, and her make up was running down her cheeks from the hot tears that flowed from her eyes. She looked over to her brother and sister on the couch, with something between sadness and insanity gleaming in her eyes. As she caught their concerned looks the fragile bits of her psyche that held it all together started to crumble and she began to sob again as she ran up stairs.

Lincoln looked to Lori, both of their jaws hung open in a slack jawed expression of confusion. Neither knew what had just happened, yet both knew that it was not a good thing. With the sudden sound of the door slamming upstairs, and a low monotone sigh, they knew that Lynn's date had not been what all had hoped for. Lori felt a small pin prick near the base of her neck as a little voice said, _look_ _what you went and did now_.

"Was that?" Lincoln asked

"Yep." Lori said.

"Should we?"

"Probably."

Lori got up off the couch and started to walk up the stairs just as Lucy was making her way downstairs. She held in her hands a notebook and a pen, and was dressed for bed.

"Lynn kick you out?" Lori asked.

"Sigh."

"There's a chocolate brownie hidden behind dad's last bit of chicken stroganoff." Lori said.

"Sigh." Lucy said as she finished walking down the steps.

As they rounded the corner and made their way to Lynn and Lucy's room, Lori heard the sounds of crashing furniture and words that should not have come out of the mouth of a fourteen-year-old. With the sounds on the other side of the door growing louder, the girls in the other rooms began to peek their heads out.

"Bad date." Lori said. "Me and Lincoln have this one."

With that the girls all nodded with understanding and went back to doing what they were doing before they heard the mini Earthquake coming from Lynn's room. Lori looked to Lincoln just as something heavy and solid hit the door with a loud thud, making them both jump back.

"You ready for this?" Lori asked Lincoln.

"Is anybody truly ready to die?" Lincoln said.

"Quiet boy, and get behind me." Lori said, reaching for the door knob.

"Son of a bitch!" Lynn screamed as she threw her boots across the room.

She walked over to her bed and ripped one of the pillows from it, slamming it repeatedly on her bed, then swinging it at her night stand, knocking over a lamp. She stomped to the dresser where all of her clothes were, and pulled the drawer out so that that it crashed to the floor. She started to grab handfuls of underwear and socks, tossing them across her room. Once the drawer was empty she flung it towards the closet, making yet another loud crash and putting a sizable hole in the door.

As she went back to pull out another drawer she managed to trip on the boots she had thrown earlier. Lynn regained her balance, then set her eyes on the things that nearly took her down. Her eyes narrowed into slits as she took them in her hand, again throwing them. The boots made a loud bang as the crashed against the door.

Lynn looked around at the mess she had made, taking deep and heavy breaths like a great warrior sucking wind after an epic battle. Once again the images of her date had flashed across her mind, bringing with them a fresh set of tears locked and loaded and looking to leak out. She blinked with intensity in an attempt to keep from letting loose the water works. Weakness. Again with the weakness. Why was she crying? This was not the first time things didn't go her way. So why cry about it, why not suck it up and stop being a sore loser? She knew damn well why. She was human, she had feelings. No matter how hard she tried to bury those feelings behind sports, and pain, and an intense rage, she just couldn't do it. The tears started to flow, not matter how hard she tried to hold them back, the damn had already burst. Lynn jumped on her bed and buried her face in her pillow, trying to muffle her uncontrollable sobbing fits.

At the door she heard a faint knocking. It did not take much for her to figure out who it was. She had seen the concerned looks on both Lori and Lincoln's faces when she came home, and she knew that Lucy would just go hide somewhere and write out her feelings of being ejected from her own room. She would have to make it up to Lucy later. Lynn knew that Lori would still be up, after all she was supposed to come back and pick her up, she was just waiting for the call or text to let her know the date was over.

"Go away!" She yelled. "I don't want to talk about it!"

"Well people in hell want ice water." Lori said as she opened the door and walked in.

"Go away, you're annoying me."

"Lynn if that actually worked, wouldn't I have tried it long go." Lincoln said, getting a nasty look from both sisters. "What? You guys annoy me all time. Is this really news?"

"Whatever." Lori said, dismissing her brothers comment with a wave of her hand. She went over and took a seat on Lynn's bed, lightly patting the back of her thigh as she continued to cry into her remaining pillow. "Didn't go well huh?"

Lynn rolled over, revealing dark smudged mascara that had trailed down her cheeks, making her look like The Crow, at least that was what Lincoln thought. All she needed was the white face paint and the black hair. Lynn sat up and rested her head on Lori's shoulder, her sobs now mere whimpers. Lori put her arm around Lynn and lightly stroked her hair, trying to comfort her.

"How big of a jerk was he?" Lori asked.

"Do I have to go kick his butt?" Lincoln said. "I mean he will probably kill me, but I will try if he did anything to you."

Lynn couldn't help but smile. She knew for a fact that Cory would destroy Lincoln, in less than three moves, but is was still very sweet of him to offer. That was one of many reasons she loved her family, they were always there whenever any of them fell. They were right there with a hand held out and a shoulder waiting to absorb those tears. All of them except her. She was the one you came to when violence was needed, not emotional support. Perhaps that was why, despite how much they were trying to make her feel better, there was a bit of sadness weighted to her siblings kind words and gestures. She felt that she could never be what they were, could never give what they gave.

"He didn't do anything guys." She told them. "He was a perfect gentleman, for the most part. I caught him checking out my ass once but that was it."

"Language Lynn." Lori said, nodding to her brother.

"He's heard me say worse." She said.

"I've said worse." Lincoln commented, ignoring the inquisitive glare Lori was giving him. "So if he didn't do anything wrong then what's the problem?"

Lynn leaned forward and rested her face in her palms. She didn't want to tell them, feeling that it was just so stupid and really not that big a deal out of. At least not to her. She kind of expected something to go wrong. Of course, she was extremely embarrassed by the whole thing. Still, she knew they were going to find out, and it was better just to rip this band aid off a quick as possible. If anyone was going to help her get over it all, it would be her family.

"I made a total fool of myself." She told them. "I tripped because of these stupid high-heeled boots you guys made me wear. I knocked over some soup into his lap. And then things got worse. Not to mention that fact that he was bored with me."

"He was bored with you?" Lori asked.

"Yeah he wasn't even a little interested in talking with me. Every time I did what you guys told me to do he just rolled his eyes and seemed uninterested. He kept trying to change the conversation."

"Why didn't you just talk about what he wanted to talk about then?" Lincoln said, getting cold looks from both sisters. "Seems like it would have been the smart thing to do." The boy shrugged.

"Lincoln you literally don't know what you are talking about here." Lori told him. "Girls have different ways of acting on dates than guys do."

"Remember when you all tried to change Lucy so she would get Rocky's attention?" Lincoln told her.

Lori went to say something but the words died in her mouth. She did remember the whole ordeal with Rocky, and how the girls all tried to change Lucy into something she was not. Lori just sat there with the knowledge that she might have ruined her little sisters first date. She knew after she dropped her off that she was second guessing everything, but the thoughts had come far too late for her to do anything. She had gone against everything she had told Lynn a few weeks ago, all those words about being herself and letting the guys come to her. She became a part of the problem.

"I'm sorry Lynn." Lori said. "I'm sorry I screwed this up for you."

"It was my fault to." She said. "I knew going in that this was a mistake. I guess I'm just not the kind of girl that gets the guy."

Lynn hated listening to her own self-doubt, to that cartoon devil that sat and got fat off her low self-esteem and growing depression. She thought tonight would have been that light at the end of the tunnel for her, that nice reward she could work towards. Instead, it was just a bitter reminder of what she was not going to get. And all she was left with was the annoying smack of those red lips as that cartoon devil chewed away on all of those sad thoughts.

"Oh shut up." Lincoln said. Both Lori and Lynn looked to their little brother, puzzled and shocked looks on their faces. "Lynn I know you think you're some kind of freak that boys just laugh at, but your not. You are one of the coolest girls I know, and dammit you are beautiful."

Lori looked at Lincoln with a warm smile as her heart swelled with pride. They all knew how special he was, and though there were times he could rub them the wrong way. Yet when the chips were down and you put your bet on Lincoln Loud, well the girls all knew they were in for damn good pay day. He helped Lori with her own crap, and had helped pull Lucy out of her funk. Now he was here for Lynn.

"I'm not just saying this because I'm your brother and I have to say it." Lincoln continued. "I would hang out with you even if we weren't related. And all my friends think you are so freaking cute. You have no idea how often I have to hear about how many of them have a thing for you."

Lynn could not help but wonder which friends of Lincoln's had a thing for her. She knew Clyde was out of the running as he was still head over heels for Lori. Rusty came to mind as she could have sworn she once caught him waiting for her to come out of her room in her sleep shirt the last time he slept over. It was cute, but also a little creepy.

"You may not see what you are Lynn, but everyone else sees it." Lincoln told her.

Lynn sat on the edge of her bed, tears burning her eyes as she looked at her little brother. It made sense that Lincoln was the heart of the family, as he may have just had the biggest heart in the family. Lynn reached over and wrapped her arms around her brother, planting a kiss on his cheek.

"Thank you." She told him. "That was the nicest thing you have ever said to me. I love you little bro."

"Nope problem sis." Lincoln said.

"So wait, you said things got worse. What else happened?" Lori said.

Lynn's face turned bright red and quickly looked towards the ground. She was not sure she wanted to say anything while Lincoln was still in the room. Though she knew that Lori would not drop the subject until she found out.

"I uh-I was adjusting my top ..." Lynn told them. "And it sort of fell down."

Loris eyes grew wide.

"So he saw your bra, sure that's embarrassing but not the worst thing that could happen." Lincoln said.

"Uhhh Lincoln." Lori said. "She wasn't wearing a bra with that top."

Lincoln's smile faded as his expression went blank. An image flashed in his head that he quickly swept to the dark corner of his mind, to a place it would remain until a well-paid therapist would one day drag it out and make him face the fact that he had pictured his older sister topless. Lincoln shivered and got off the bed. He turned to look at Lynn, the image still fresh in his mind, and averted his gaze to the floor.

"I will let you two discuss that by yourselves." He told them as he walked towards the door. "I need to see if Lisa has anything that can erase memories."

* * *

 **Well I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. We are nearing the end of the story now. I also you all had a wonderful new year.**

 **See you in a few days.**

 **Peace**


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16: Sunday, Cruddy Sunday**

It was Sunday afternoon, not even twenty-four hours removed from the terrible date, and Lynn would have been more than content staying inside the house and eating ice cream sandwiches while watching old pro wrestling videos online. There was a match she had wanted to see for a while now between Kenny Omega and Kazuchika Okada for the IWGP world title in the Tokyo dome. She had heard it was a five star match, and was curious if it would live up to her expectations. However, she had promised to meet up with Lezlie and Emmy at the park to tell them all about the date. Even though she was dreading having to go over the details again, she knew that Lezlie and Emmy would be supportive as always.

Lynn walked out to the garage to get her bike, a hand-me-down that once belonged to Lori before she gave it to Lincoln. The bike had been too pink and girly for the one male sibling of the house hold, so he "borrowed" Lynn's bike. After a series of events that could have been written as a cartoon, Lynn ended up with Lori's old bike. She of course fixed it up to more suit her style. Gone were the frilly streamers and vanity plate, as well as the pink paint job. Now the bike looked like something you would see in the X Games.

As she was about to get on the bike and leave for the park, her phone vibrated in her pocket. She pulled the phone out and checked to see who sent her a text. It was Cory. Of course, it was Cory. What did he want? Surely the fact that he was texting her was a good sign. That could mean that he was checking in with her, making sure she was ok and to tell her that he was willing to forget about the date. Although, it could be worse. He could be the kind of dick that would break up via text message. But could you break up with someone you really only dated one time? Once again the flood gates had opened and her mind was sinking into a well of a million thoughts. _I don't got time for this shit_ , she thought to her self as she ignored the text and put the phone back in her pocket. She was not ready to talk to him yet. She knew it was going to have to happen sooner or later, she just wanted to hold out for later, maybe let the flames of her embarrassment burn out.

Lynn rode down the street before turning on to Oak street. She pumped her legs and peddled like she was racing to beat phantom riders that nipped at her heels. She could make the park in ten minutes if she wanted to, but today she was in no hurry. Cutting across the intersection at Birch and Thornberry avenue, she rode towards the empty lot that was once a department store before becoming a thrift store, and finally the dirt lot it was now. Half the chain link fence had gone down, partly from the wind and partly from random kids kicking it down. Lynn narrowly maneuvered through the gap and on to the dirt, kicking up a trial of dust as she glided through the lot. Mounds of dirt had been piled up, making for wicked jumps for the kids that dared to defy the "Keep Out" sign posted on the fence. Lynn sped up and came off one of the mound, catching air for a few brief moments. The wind brushed her face and made her red wind breaker flutter, sounding like the flapping of wings. She imagined this was what it was like to fly. The bike landed, shaking her body, and Lynn skidded to a halt, shooting up a cloud of dust into the air. She needed that. Sure it wasn't that same thrill as fighting, or running with ball on the field or court, but it was still a rush. A small little burst of adrenaline that pumped through her veins and silenced her mind. It was her drug of choice. Now she was ready. Now she could go and she her friends and talk about what happened last night.

The park appeared to be packed. Families and groups of kids gathered around picnic tables or playing on the grass with soccer balls, footballs, and Frisbee. The smell of fried chicken, rolls, and other tasty treats mixed with the scent of the pine trees that grew around the park. The past few weeks had seen the temperature drop and the clouds swell and threaten rain or snow. Sharp cool winds had cut across the town with surgical precision. Yet now there was a break in the cold weather. A small window where the sun pushed the clouds aside and sang "move bitch, get the way". With the sun came an increase in the temperature and a last possible chance to enjoy a nice day in the park without wearing over stuffed coats and mittens. Sure it was only a small break, as the weather man liked to remind everyone who would listen, that winter was coming. And though it was still only fall, a snow storm was coming that would take a big white dump on Royal Woods, once again giving Lynn the chance to bust out the snowboard as well as practice for the annual Loud snowball fight.

Near the East side of the park there was a baseball diamond where companies often gathered to play softball and drink beer. On the other side of that was a section where skaters and kids with bikes could ride and perform tricks. It looked like a large empty pool, made out of concrete and with a few slopes and ridges where they could catch some air. There was also a couple of rails for those with enough skill to grind. Lynn liked the rails, not because she was good at those kinds of tricks, she liked to watch the others perform them, and had to admit that she did find it funny when they bit it and crotched themselves.

Next to this area, where the skaters hung out, was a couple of benches where the kids often came and smoked. There she saw Lezlie and Emmy, the red-headed martial artist sat on the bench and watched as Emmy was doing kick flips and ollies. Lynn walked up, catching the eyes of her friends, whose faces lit up when they saw their friend.

"Hey guys." Lynn said as she rode up, again skidding to a stop.

"Hey Lynn." Lezlie said.

"Lynnburger!" Emmy yelled as she ran over and hugged her friend. "You gonna give us the dirt on your date?"

And there it was, the words that Lynn knew was coming but hoped would have lost their invite to the party. Lynn looked away as Emmy stepped back to await her answer. As she tried to avoid making eye contact with her friend, Emmy instantly knew that something was wrong, looking back towards Lezlie. Both girls shared a perplexed and concerned expression.

"Ok what gives?" Emmy asked.

"What do you mean?" Lynn said, trying to dodge the question.

"You have the same look I had when my aunt caught me snaking ten bucks outta her purse." Emmy said.

Lynn knew she would have to dish the dirt to her friends. She also knew that her friends would be supportive and tell her everything was all right and that she should not worry too much or be too embarrassed. She just hated talking about it, and did not want to have to relive the whole damn thing over again.

"It uh, it wasn't a good date." Lynn said.

"Was he a real jerk or something?" Lezlie asked. "Because that would not surprise me."

"No it wasn't him." She told them, looking off into the distance. "It was me."

"You were a jerk?" Lezlie asked confused.

"I made a fool of myself." Lynn said, blinking back tears.

"What did you do, flash your tits at him?" Emmy joked with a loud laugh. Yet when she saw Lynn's face go bright red, she realized what she had said. "Oh damn."

"What?" Lezlie said, her jaw hanging open and her eyes the size of baseballs. "You mean he got a look at ..." She waved her hands up and down at Lynn's chest.

Lynn simply nodded her head.

Lezlie went in and hugged Lynn, rubbing her hand up and down the middle of her back in a show of comfort. She felt bad for her friend, knowing the rough time she had been having in the whole love department. First the crap with Francisco, now this new ordeal with Cory. It just seemed like no matter what Lynn could not catch a break.

"I haven't talked to him since." Lynn said. "He texted me before I rode over here, but I-I just don't think I'm ready to face him yet."

"Well the fact that he texted you shows he still likes you." Lezlie reassured her.

"Either that or he was hoping to see what else you could show him." Emmy joked, getting Lynn to actually crack a smile.

"You are a pain in the ass." Lynn told her.

"True, but I'm your pain in the ass." Emmy said.

This was true. Emmy was not the kind of friend you went to for comfort or words of encouragement, she was not good at those kinds of things. Emmy was who you went to when you wanted to laugh and forget your pain or humiliation for a little while. She would be a smart ass and crack wise in an attempt to make you smile and remember that it was just another random day in a long line of random days. That was the power of her friendship, and in that moment Lynn was happy, more than ever, to have her as a friend.

"So where do you go from here?" Lezlie asked.

"Not sure." Lynn shrugged. "I would like to make this date up to him but I just don't know what to do."

"Seems like the most you two have clicked was when you were fighting or training or whatever." Emmy said.

A thought had suddenly occurred to Lynn, something that seemed so silly at first then just grew like a snowball being rolled down a hill. As it grew, the idea started to seem less silly and actually showed some promise. Though she knew it was not something she could do alone.

"I know that look." Lezlie said. "You got an idea."

"Maybe." Lynn said.

"Well ... " Emmy said, waiting for her friend to spill it.

"I may need some help." She told her friends, then turned to Lezlie. "And I'm also gonna need to talk to Master San."

* * *

 **What on Earth could Lynn be planning? Well of course I know because I wrote the bloody thing, but I am just trying to get you all guessing.**

 **I gotta admit that I am sad we are getting close to the end. I better hurry up and start working on the next story in this AU.**

 **So I will see you guys on Friday the next chapter.**

 **Peace**


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17: I Get By With A Little Help From My Friends**

Over the next week, Lynn had set about the planning stage, going over all the details that came to mind. It was a blur of brainstorms and texts back and forth to Lezlie, Emmy, and Margo. The thought had crossed her mind to go to her sisters for help, but something inside her wanted this to be all her, and she knew that they would try to toss their two cents into the well of ideas. She was thankful for their help with the first date, and already knew that she would be calling on them for help in a few areas, but when it came to making plans, this one had to be all her.

When Monday rolled around, her and Lezlie talked to Master San about using the dojo. They spun a web of half-truths about needing to put in a little more practice, which was not entirely a lie, Lynn was going to practice in a way. Master San was more than happy to let Lynn use the dojo. She was a bit surprised with how easily Master San had said yes. She was prepared to put a little more effort into her persuading, maybe something to do with her dad's strawberry muffins.

After school on Wednesday Lynn, Emmy, and Margo had met up with Lezlie at a shopping center just off Avery street. The anchor of the center was a Bag n' Save grocery store that may have been the last one in all of existence, as the company had been closing stores left and right. Next to that was a thrift store, a vap shop, and a 98 cent store. The 98 cent store was one of those locally owned shops where not everything in the store was actually ninety-eight cents. Lynn and her friends went into the 98 store, browsing the isles for candles. Margo was pushing a shopping cart, which Emmy decided to sit it, with her feet dangling out over the side. They came to the isle where the candles and incense could be found. The four girls loaded the card up with candles and a few packs of matches, after they kicked Emmy out of the cart. They went to the front of the store and loaded the items on the conveyor belt, a middle-aged clerk with slowly graying hair and dark rimmed glasses, eyed the girls with a look that danced between mild disinterest and annoyance.

"Lot of candles and matches here ladies." She remarked, peering over the glasses that hung off the edge of a pointed nose that made her look like a cartoon witch.

"Yeah we need them for a ritual sacrifice." Emmy told the woman, getting a shocked look followed by a growing frown. "We were hoping for black, but I guess we have to settle for scented."

Lynn and Lezlie looked away trying hard not to burst into a fit of laughter, while Margo bolted for the door, losing it once outside. Lynn thought for sure the middle-aged woman was going to deny the sale and boot them from the building. Thankfully the minimum wage paycheck and mind-numbing work of pushing buttons, scanning items, and dealing with smart asses like the blonde skater girl made her not give damn. She took their money, gave them their change and a receipt, then moved on to the next charming person in line.

As the girls left the building, catching up with Margo, who was now bright red and crying from laughing so hard, they began to laugh as well. Emmy simply shrugged it off as if this was a normal thing for her.

"Why the hell would you tell her that?" Margo asked, wiping the tears from her eyes with the bottom hem of her shirt.

"It was either that or tell her it was for the massive group orgy." Emmy said. "I figured it was safer to go with the sacrifice thing in case she would be tempted to join us."

"Why do we hang out with you again?" Lezlie said.

"For the shits and the giggles." Emmy smiled.

They hauled the load back to Casa de Loud, where Lynn stored them in the garage next to the boxes of holiday decorations and her punching bag. She thanked her friends and told them that she would see them on Saturday to help set everything up. With phase one now complete, she just had to start work on phase two. That was going to require a little help from her sisters.

* * *

Leni Loud stood in front of a white board in her sister Lisa's room. For the past few months, ever since Lisa had worked with Leni to help boost her intelligence, she often found herself at her little sisters side. Most days they worked on problem solving and memory boosting exercises, or Lisa would help Leni to prepare for tests. There were of course, those days when Leni would drag Lisa from her lab and force her to socialize or get some fresh air. Today was a test preparation day. Leni stared at the mathematical problem written on the white board. She stroked her chin and searched her brain for the answer. Behind her Lisa stood by and watched in silence.

"Hmmm." Leni mused, massaging her chin between her forefinger and thumb.

"This is Algebra 2 Leni, you should have learned this last year." Lisa said. "15t + 20 = 20 + 13t, think it through."

Leni uncapped the pen in her hand and began to write on the board. She subtracted 13t from both sides of the equation. Then subtracted 20 from both sides, writing down 2t = 20. She tapped the bottom of the pen against her lips and and squinted at the problem, trying to make her brain focus on the task at hand instead of drifting off to random thoughts of what would be the new hot style this winter. She was thinking winter hats with a faux fur trim. She snapped her attention back to the math problem. She needed to figure this out if she was going to graduate high school. Suddenly a metaphorical light bulb went off above her head, making her think of a literal light bulb, which made her reach out above her head to see if the light bulb was actually there or not. Again she shook the mental distraction from her head and went back to the board. She divided both sides of the problem by 2, and wrote down – 20.

"Did I get it right?" She asked looking back to her tutor.

"Yes you managed to answer the problem correctly dear sister." Lisa said. "You may now have a cookie."

"Oooh cookie." The young blonde chirped, raptor walking over to a tray of cookies near a small glass container housing a cockroach. "Hello Ricky." Leni greeted her sisters pet as she took a cookie off the plate on the table.

Ricky drooled.

"Why yes I did get a hair cut, thank you for noticing." She said. "Nice to see that someone has been paying attention."

"I assume that remark was directed towards me." Lisa said as she wiped away the math problem and began to write a new one. "I remind you that little goes on in this dwelling that I am unaware of. I perceived your new style in hair, just felt no need to draw attention to it as I fail to comprehend the point in needless compliments to feed one's ego."

Leni walked over to Lisa and patted her lightly on the top of her head. "And that is why I am teaching you how to better interact with people."

There was a knock on the door, making Lisa pinch the bridge of her nose and let out a heavy sigh.

"Enter if you must." She said.

Lynn entered the room and looked at her siblings, a truly odd pairing that she was still not quite used to seeing. Before Lisa offered to help Leni get smarter, the two hardly ever interacted with each other, mostly because of Lisa. The tiny genius of the family may have loved her siblings and parents, she just found it difficult to be around them. Of course a lot of that was because of she found it frustrating to talk to them, having to constantly repeat herself or dumb down what she had said. Between spending time with Leni and her friend Darcy, Lisa was starting to come out of that socially awkward shell.

"Hey can I borrow Leni for a minute?" Lynn asked.

Lisa turned to Leni who was grinning from ear to ear. "I suppose our work has concluded for the time being. You should be able to pass that test on Friday." Lisa told the blonde.

"You are totes the best Lisa." Leni said as she walked out into the hallway with Lynn.

"If only I could do something with her manner of speech." Lisa said.

Ricky drooled.

"Quiet you!" Lisa scolded her pet.

Lynn walked out into the hall closely followed by Leni. They stopped and Lynn looked to her older sister as she nervously rubbed the back of her head. None of her sisters had any clue what she was up to, and she was pretty sure once Leni and Lori were brought in then it would not take long for the whole family to know. This did not really bother her, at least not much. She was just not sure she could keep them from trying to meddle. There was a fine line between helping and meddling, and the Loud sisters not only crossed the line, they often spit on it for good measure.

"What can I do for you?" Leni asked.

"I uh, I was wondering if you could make something for me?" Lynn said.

"Like what?" Leni asked, her hopes rising.

"Well I got another date on Saturday." Lynn said.

Leni's face lit up and Lynn could almost see the screeching scream of excitement building in her throat. It reminded her of the science fiction flick that Lincoln watched one Saturday afternoon, where the pod people would let out terrible screams to inform the others that someone was not one of them. That was much like the Loud girls. Only their scream was to alarm the others that there was something cute and adorable going on.

"If you scream I will punch you in the throat." Lynn told her sister. "I'm sorry, I love you, but I will punch you in the throat."

Leni rubbed her throat and swallowed the scream. She shot her sister a pouty look of disappointment. Lynn did not care. Not in that moment at least. She knew all too well what came after that scream, and she did not have time for that. She did not need a sister storm, right now she needed one sister.

"I want you to make me an outfit for the date." Lynn said, reaching into her back pocket and pulling out a page she clipped from a magazine. "I want something like this, only made with red silk for the main outfit, and black for the belt."

Leni looked carefully at the picture in her hand. She made an odd look, cocking one eyebrow and pursing her lips to the side, like she was slightly annoyed and yet intrigued by the challenge. She shrugged, smiled and said, "Ok, I can do this."

Lynn was about to thank her sister before she was cut off.

"But you have to promise that I get to make you a dress that you have to wear on one of your dates." Leni said.

It was very rare for a favor to come without some kind of price in that house. Lynn wondered if this price was too steep or not. She was not a dress girl, being able to even avoid them during fancy holiday gatherings and distant cousins weddings. She knew that Leni's goal was to try to get all of her sisters into one of her dresses, and she would not be surprised if she had plans for Lincoln as well. If that was indeed her goal then it seemed like she was about to become one sister closer.

"Fine." Lynn said. "But I feel like your getting more out of this deal than I am."

"Perhaps." Leni said with a sly smile.

Lynn sighed and started towards her room before stopping. She turned back and went over to Leni, wrapping her arms around her sister.

"Thanks Leni, you're the best." Lynn said.

"Awwww" Leni said. "I don't know what has made you more open to hugging, but I totes love it."

* * *

 **Wow I did not realize how close we were to the end. I think there are like two or three chapters left.**

 **I loved writing that scene with Lisa and Leni, they are just too much fun to work on. And the whole raptor walk thing comes from a drawing from a talented artist on DeviantArt named Master-Rainbow.**

 **Well that's it for now. Catch next week.**

 **Peace**


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter 18: Dinner With Mom**

Cory sat in a chair by the bookcase in the room his parents had converted into a mini library. Beside him was a cedar end table with glass top, which had a small white ceramic table lamp on it. He was reading Stephen King's It, as he always liked to read a book before seeing the movie. Most times the movie had never lived up to the book, Jaws being the only exception to that rule. Though he always suspected that was because he did his ritual in reverse. He had watched the movie first, then went to read the book, hoping for more. What he got was not the characters he had fallen in love with in the movie. That was the point where he decided to always read, then watch.

There was a faint knock that made Cory look up, in the doorway was his mother, her jet black hair pulled into a tight bun and a pair of thin dark rimmed glasses slightly sliding off her nose. She was still dressed in her work clothes, black slacks with a blouse to match. She smiled that sweet motherly smile that told him she was about to either ask him to help her with dinner or to run the trash out to the dumpster. He was really hoping for dinner, he was comfortable and did not want to put on shoes.

"Hey sweetie, can you help me out with dinner please?" His mother asked.

"Sure thing maw." He told her, marking his place and setting the book down on the little end table next to the chair. "Whit 're we havin'?"

"Lemon butter chicken with pasta." His mother told him.

Cory shrugged. Not his favorite thing to eat, but then even his mothers worst dishes were better than most peoples best dishes. That was the benefit of having a mother that cooked for a living. Cory had never walked away from the dinner table with a single complaint when she cooked. Which was not as often as he would have liked. Now his father on the other hand, he was a man who was better with a phone and a menu than he was a skillet and spatula. It was a miracle that he had not burned the building down already with his failed attempts at cooking.

They went to the kitchen where his mother handed him some tomatoes, and a couple bundles of spinach and parsley, she then pointed him to the counter where a sharp knife and cutting board were waiting for him. Meanwhile, she poured some water in a large metal pot, placing the pot on the stove, turning it on to boil the water. She then took a pack of chicken breasts out of the refrigerator and placed them on the counter.

Cory began to chop the tomatoes, cutting them into medium-sized chunks and placing them in a bowl to await their turn to be placed in the dish. He then started to work on the spinach and parsley, rinsing the green veggies and bundling them up on the cutting board. The knife went to work, quickly chopping the leaves into thin sliced bits.

"So how did your date go?" His mother asked.

Cory stopped chopping, his mind going back to Saturday and Lynn's odd behavior that night. That led him to think about what happened before she ran off into the night, the incident with her top. He knew if he had kept chopping that spinach he would have ended up taking off one of his fingers. No matter how much he tried not to think of it, trying hard to be a respectful person, his teenage hormones would kick in and flash the image of ... well Lynn flashing him. He felt bad for her. He knew it was an accident, and that it was embarrassing, and he wanted to let her know that none of that stuff mattered to him. That she had nothing to be embarrassed about. Though he learned from his last girlfriend that it was just a terrible idea to ever tell a woman not to feel something. Even if you were trying to be supportive. He tried to call her and text her, but she never returned any of his calls or texts. Though honestly, he was glad, he still had no clue what to say to her without putting his foot in his mouth.

"Uhhh ... well 'twas ... " Cory trailed off.

"That well huh?" His mother laughed. "What did you do?"

"Awright, how come ye assume 'twas mah fault?" Cory defensively said.

"Because, like your father and so many other poor souls, you are a male." She laughed.

"Ah resemble that remark." Cory joked.

"You sure do kiddo."

As the water began to boil, Cory's mom took a handful of dry noodles and placed them into the pot. She then went to the counter and opened the package of boneless chicken thighs, placing each one on the cutting board. She began to cut the chicken into halves, then set them aside.

"Ah didnae actually dae anythin' wrong." Cory told her. "This time."

"Oh?"

"Really neither did she." Cory thought back to the date and how Lynn was acting. He knew something was off when she showed up looking the way that she did. Not that he didn't her dressed up, he just felt that was not really her. As the evening went on, she kept trying to get him to talk about himself and would laugh as the dumbest times. It was like she was pretending to be one of those annoying girls he went to school with. That was not the brash, hard fighting girl that first knocked the wind from him when he laid eyes on her. He had never met that Lynn before.

"Well are you going to tell me what happened or am I going to have to make you chop onions?" His mother threatened.

"Ye wouldn't." Cory said, getting a devilish smile from his mother. "Keep it up 'n' ah will call child protective services."

"They would just reward me." She smiled.

Cory's mom handed him a block of Parmesan cheese and a cheese grater. He went to the cupboard and got a small bowl and started to grate the cheese over the bowl. He had not realized how much he really missed cooking and talking with his mother. Yet as much as he enjoyed it, he knew it would not be a regular thing, and that made him feel even lonelier. Cory may have been closer to his mother than he was his father. They spent more time together before they moved to the states, and he was always her shoulder to cry on when his grandmother finally passed on. He even took more after his mother, getting her sense of humor and charm. Though he got his looks from his father, making his mother often comment how he got the best of both of them, making him a heat breaker in the making.

"Ah think she wis pure nervous, like this wis her first date." Cory said.

"What makes you say that?" She asked.

"Th' wey tha' she acted. She wasn't th' same lassie ah asked oot."

Cory's mom reached under the stove and took out a large metal pan, placing it on the stove. She flipped on the heat and placed a pad of butter in the pan, waiting for it to melt. As she waited she turned and watched her son who had finished with the cheese and was now juicing some lemons. She smiled as she watched him. Cooking was their thing. It used to be bed times stories and puzzles, though that all changed when she started to work more and he got older. Now they had cooking, and her son was getting to be pretty good at it.

"She kept talking aboot th' weather, asking me whit ah wis intae, 'n' efter ah told her she did this fake flirty roar 'n' told me ah wis sae funny or darlin'." He told his mother.

"This is that girl that kicked your butt at the karate tournament?" His mother asked.

"Ah could hae beat her." Cory said, giving his mother a nasty look.

"What ever helps you sleep at night sweetie." His mother ignored him, instead checking to see if the pan was ready for the chicken. With the butter now a golden liquid spattering from the heat, she placed some chicken thighs into the pan.

As the raw meat hit the pan, Cory could her the sizzle as the hot butter and metal of the pan started to cook and sear the meat. He could see little bits of butter splatter and shoot up out of the pan, landing on the stove. His mother placed a glass lid over the pan, muffling the sound and keeping the hot butter from shooting all over the place.

"Th' wirst pairt is that she wis sae nervous that she kept figgiting wi' her tap." Cory began to blush as he thought back to that night and what happened. "She uh ... accidentally tugged her tap tae hard and pulled it doon."

Cory's mother stopped and slowly turned toward her son. She looked as if he had just told her that he had been expelled from school, or that he was planing to run away and join traveling band of circus freaks. She had a painful and horrified look on her face, feeling for the poor girl.

"Please tell me she was wearing a bra." She said.

Cory slowly shook his head.

"Oh my." She walked over and placed a container of heavy cream she had gotten from the refrigerator on the counter. 'The poor dear, I bet she was so mortified."

"She shot oot o' th' restaurant like her buns wur pure burning." Cory told her.

"Have you spoken to her since?" His mother asked as she checked the chicken, turning it over.

"She wilnae return mah calls, 'n' she avoids me at school."

"Poor dear." Cory's mother said. "Makes sense, her first date with you and that happens. It probably took a real toll on her."

"Took a toll on me." Cory joked.

"Are we going to have to have "The Talk" now?" His mom said.

"Dad awready did that."

Cory's mom looked to her son with a cringe on her face. Her husband was not the smoothest man when it came to dealing with things like that. He could his way into any rich clients pocket book, and even into the wallets of a few major corporations. Yet when it came to dealing with sex and women, well he was like a shy fifteen-year old trying to get the head cheerleaders attention. She still remembered how he tried to smooth talk his way into her life. Sure he was a real looker, but he was far from being a smooth talker. The pick line was bad enough, it was only made worse by the fact that he couldn't get it out without stuttering. Things only got worse as he spilled the drink he was trying to buy her all over them. It was a sad sight. However, she happened to find pathetic and clumsy kind of cute and ended up falling in love with him. Still, if his sex talk with their son was anything like when he tried to get her into bed the first time, then she thought she might have to try to clear some things up.

"He did fine, nae th' best talk in the world, buit he git thro' it." Cory began to laugh. "Though by th' end ah wis starting tae wonder if ah would hae tae hae th' talk wi' him."

This made Cory's mom burst into laughter, thinking that was something she could actually picture happening. Her son was far more mature than either of his parents were when they were his age. She remembered not being able to make it out of the sex ed class without either blushing or laughing like she watched a Jim Carry movie.

"So what are you going to do?" She asked, as she removed the chicken from the pan, placing it on a plate and putting it to the side.

Cory started to bring the remaining ingredients over to her, setting them on the black marble counter next to the stove. He tried to carry all of the plates and bowls at once, but eventually decided it was better to just make a few trips. The last thing he wanted to do was drop something and have to start all over again.

"Well ah guess a'm just going tae hae tae wait it oot." He told her. "Sooner or later she wull talk tae me again 'n' we kin just gie it anither go."

Cory's mom put more butter into the pan, followed by the heavy whipping cream and some garlic. She stirred the ingredients for a moment then left them to simmer, letting the flavors blend together. She turned back towards Cory, after placing the spoon to rest next to the pan.

"You should get her some flowers." His mother said. "Girls love flowers. I love it when your father brings me home some roses." She looked off in a dreamy state.

That idea actually stuck out to Cory, thinking it might help Lynn to see that he was not only sorry for what happened, but that he didn't care about how bad the date was. All he cared about was getting the chance to see her again. He wondered what kind of flowers she liked, or if she even liked them at all. He could always try and get her something else she liked.

About the time that they started to combine the final ingredients, placing the lemon juice, tomatoes, cheese, spinach and parsley into the sauce with the chicken, Cory's phone beeped. He pulled the phone from his pocket and checked it. Lynn had finally gotten back to him.

 _Meet me at my dojo Sat 7_

"She just texted me." Cory told his mother.

"What did she say?' His mother said, with a bit more excitement in her voice than she intended.

"She wants tae catch up at her dojo oan Seturday at seven." He said.

"Oh?"

Cory's phone beeped again. He opened the text and looked it over. He looked it over again. He was not sure what she was planning but she had managed to peak his curiosity.

"Well ..?" His mother asked, waiting for her son to tell her what the message said.

"She also says tae bring mah karate gear." He told her.

"She's an odd girl." His mother said. "I like her already."

* * *

 **Boy am I sad. This is the last week for this story, just two chapters left after this.**

 **BTW, I hate writing Cory's accent. Next story he appears in, I am thinking I will let you, the reader, work that part out in your head. It is very time consuming to write and edit, and I really like the character. I loved the interaction her with his mother, that was a joy to work on. Alas we will not see his father in this story, mainly because I just didn't have the time to work him in, and it felt better to leave him out of it. Maybe next story.**

 **Well I will see you all in a few days.**

 **Peace.**


	19. Chapter 19

**Chapter 19: The Date Part Deux**

The alarm went off with the screeching beep of a digital demon. Lynn rolled over and looked through tired eyes and the time while he hand searched out for the elusive snooze button. Saturday had come a lot quicker then Lynn had expected it to, time flying by as she frantically tried to set up for her date. She got out of bed and went to the bathroom, waiting in line behind Lincoln and Luan. With it being a weekend most of the other girls would be sleeping in, thankfully cutting the line down to just the three of them. They all waited for Luna, who had started to make a habit of being the first one up. The rocking sisters voice echoed out of the room, as she sang yet another sappy love song.

"I'm so into you, I can barely breathe .." Luna sang.

Lincoln looked back at Luan and Lynn with a puzzled look. "When did she start listening to Ariana Grande?"

"She is starting to expand to pop music now." Luan told them. "When she gets to Justin Bieber I'm hanging myself in the closet. Just to let you guys know."

"If I get like that you have permission to hit me with a steel chair." Lynn said.

After she finally got her turn in the shower Lynn went to Lori's and Leni's room. She knocked, waited, and quickly got yanked into the room. Both older sisters stood before her with wide grins, looking like a pair of blonde Cheshire cats.

"I take it that the outfit is ready?" Lynn asked.

Leni nodded, her head moving back and forth like an excited bobble head doll.

"And Lori knows about my date and wants to do my hair and nails again."

Lori nodded in an uncharacteristic and excited fashion. Thankfully Lynn had planned on this, knowing that Leni would spill the beans to Lori first and that her oldest sister would want to make up for the bad advice and bad date. Though she did not really blame Lori for the bad date. That was all her own fault for letting her own fears and insecurities get the better of her.

"Good." Lynn said. "Let's make me pretty."

While Leni put the finishing touches on the outfit, Lynn sat in a chair and let Lori work her magic. She worked some knots and kinks out of her hair, then styled it with her bangs hanging gracefully above her eyes while the rest was pulled back into a pony tail. Lori also painted her nails, going for a bright red that would match the lipstick she would wear. After applying the finishing touches to her eye shadow, Lori had Lynn take a quick look in the mirror to see if she was happy with the look.

Lynn was surprised that she could actually look cute and kind of sexy. She had spent so much time thinking that she looked like boy. She smiled and did her best to fight back a few tears, not wanting to ruin her make up.

Leni had finished the outfit and showed it to Lynn, who absolutely loved it. She hugged both her sisters and thanked them for all the help, then packed up her stuff and had Lori drop her off at the dojo to await Emmy and Lezlie.

It was getting close to six when her friends showed up. Master San had left early and Danny was just finishing up with a class. As the kids gathered their stuff and went to meet their parents outside, Danny locked the door and turned to the three girls.

"What's the sitch?" Danny asked.

"Not sure what you're talking about Danny." Lynn told him, hoping he would just drop the subject.

"Dudes, I know there is no training going on tonight." Danny said.

"What makes you say that?" Lynn said, trying hard to keep the lie going.

"No one gets that dolled up to fight." Danny said. "Unless it's in mud and there are about fifteen old dudes standing around."

"Nice." Emmy chuckled.

Lynn knew that she was not going to be able to pull the wool over Danny's eyes, and she was actually kind of surprised she was able to do it with Master San. She supposed that he just did not care that much, trusting Lynn as she was one of his best students. She told Danny about her plan, finding it quite surprising that he offered to help them set up the candles. He even brought in his mp3 player and hooked it up to a docking station that had speakers. He checked it to made sure that it worked, hitting play on a random playlist.

You're _the best! Around!_

 _Nothings gonna ever keep you down .._

"That might not be the best song choice for tonight." Lezlie said.

"No, I think it could work." Emmy said.

"I've got a love song mix on here that could work better for you." Danny said. "I just wanted to make sure the old thing still worked."

It was nearing seven o'clock and everything was finally in place. Emmy and Lezlie hugged her and wished her the best of luck as they all walked out. Danny told her to just put everything back in the boxes and to set them in the changing area, telling her he would clean it all up the next day. Lynn thanked him, even giving him a hug as well. She hated to admit that she was really starting to like the whole hug thing. As the three of them left, Danny offered to take the girls out for dinner before dropping them off at their houses.

Lynn went back to the main room and looked at her phone, it was six forty-five. She had fifteen minutes until Cory was supposed to meet her. That gave her enough time to change and fight the building panic that was working its way through her nerves. The idea and the set up was the easy part, now she had to wait and see how Cory would like it and hope that she did not screw things up again. The first thing she made sure to do, so as not to have a repeat of last time, was to actually were a bra.

Cory turned the corner on to Barbera street, seeing the complex with Lynn's dojo just up ahead. The night had brought a slightly sharp wind with a chill that cut into the bones of Cory's bare hands and across his cheeks. He was glad he traded in the fancy suit for his warm and comfortable jeans, flannel, and hoodie. As he walked up to the door he noticed that all the lights were off in all the shops. Though there did appear to be a light flickering glow coming from in the dojo. He also noticed that there was a note attached to the door, with his name written on the folded paper. He took the note and looked it over, shining a light from his phone over the words. It told him knock on the glass, then count to five before entering the dojo. Cory shrugged and did what he was told. He tapped once, then tapped four more times rapidly.

"Two bits." He chuckled to himself, before counting in his head.

After getting to five he pulled the door open and entered. As he walked from the entrance way towards the hall he noticed lots of candles scattered around and the heavenly scent of lavender and ... was that apple pie? He then noticed a soft feminine voice singing, the song sounding somewhat familiar to him.

 _... That's why I like you around ... I want you_

 _Yeah you do you do you do you do you do you do_

 _You make me want you ..._

As he entered the main hall he noticed a ring of candles on a mat in the center of the floor with a gap just wide enough for him to walk through. Standing in the ring was Lynn. Not the Lynn that he had seen the previous Saturday, yet also not the Lynn that he had seen at school or in their martial arts tournaments. This was the girl that had been hiding somewhere deep within her, the girl that Cory had always seen through that hard outer shell.

Lynn was standing, surrounded by more candles than he cared to count, her hair pulled back into a ponytail with two curly strands hanging alongside her face. She wore a silken red karate gi with a black belt tied around her waist. The light from the candles flickered and illuminated the dark eye shadow and red lipstick she wore, as if the light were gracefully kissing her. Cory suddenly wished he were the light from those candles.

"So ah tak' it we aren't going out tae dinna?" Cory asked.

"Maybe after I kick your ass." Lynn said with sly smile.

"It's on." He said.

Cory removed his hoodie and placed it on the ground, then entered the ring of candles. He inched closer to her, a big grin spreading across his face. Lynn moved in with some light punches that grazed the boy. Cory followed with a few light kicks that came close, but failed to land. Both of them now smiled as they continued to feel each other out.

"Sae are we actually fightin' or is this jus us flirting?" Cory asked.

"We can say it's a little of both." Lynn told him. "Tell you what. You get me to the ground, I might let you kiss me."

Cory smiled. He was falling hard for this girl.

They moved closer to each other, still working on finding an opening. Cory knew his best effort would be to get in close and try to trip her up with his legs. As he moved in Lynn kicked at him to drive him back, though Cory took hold of her leg and used a leg sweep to bring her down to the mat. Lynn flipped over and grinned at him.

"Tha' mean ah git tha' kiss?" Cory asked with a cocky smile.

"I said might." Lynn told him. "You gotta impress me. That move was amateur."

Lynn nipped up, getting back to her fight and egged Cory on. The young boy grinned and tried to move in for a take down. Lynn managed to take hold of his arm and duck back behind him, holding and twisting the arm in the process. Once again she had him in a hammerlock, applying just enough pressure to the hold him so he would not try to get out of it.

"I'm sorry about last weekend." She whispered, leaning so close to his ear he could feel the warmth of her breath on the back of his neck. "That was my first date. Guess I was sort of nervous."

"How come?" He asked.

"Because I like you. You are the first boy who looked past the whole tomboy thing and saw a girl there."

Cory ducked down and twisted his body so that he could releave the pressure of the hold and make his escape. Once again he found himself facing Lynn. This time the girl tried for a back leg trip, which Cory managed to block and turn into a hip throw of his own. Lynn found herself on the mat looking up at Cory, who smile at her.

"Lynn ah ne'er wance saw a tomboy." He told her, holding out his hand.

Lynn took his hand and got back to a vertical base. She looked at Cory, the desire to press her lips against his was building, it was like a kink in a hose, the water pressure continuing to build and build. The small upward curve in the corner of his mouth when he gave that half grin, or the twinkle in his eye when a small glimmer of light hit it. He was cute, and he made her heart flutter whenever she saw him.

"Bit ah ne'er saw ye as jus' a girl either." He said. "Ta me ye wur always Lynn Loud, the lass who stole mah heart."

Lynn slowly leaned in, inching closer to his face. Her lips parted, as did his. Cory closed his eyes and waited to feel her soft lips against his. Instead he felt her take hold of his shoulder and push him back, his legs getting tripped up by her outstretched leg. The next thing he knew, he felt and heard the thud of his back hitting the mat. He opened his eyes to see Lynn smiling. She hopped on top, straddling him. Suddenly she leaned in and pressed her lips against his, holding them there for a moment before pulling back.

"Tha' was weel worth th' wait." Cory smiled.

"Damn right it was." Lynn smile back.

"Sae does this mean we ur a couple then?" Cory asked.

"Yeah but let's come up with a cooler name then that."

Cory laughed as Lynn got off him and helped him back up to his feet. It only took him a little over two years to finally get the girl that captivated him. Two years of planning and wondering if it would even work, if she would ever see him as more then just the competition. Now she finally looked at him the same way he looked at her. Cory smiled again, a smile that started in his soul, working its way to his heart, then finally showing up across his face.

"So I hope this makes up for last weekend?" Lynn asked.

"Weel … " Cory said with a shrug.

"What?"

"Weel lest weekend ah git dinna 'n' a show." Cory said.

Lynn was surprised by the comment, feeling a slight blush creep along her cheeks. She knew what he was referring to, the incident in the restaurant last weekend that resulted in her showing the world her tits. She felt the sudden urge to belt him in the arm, knowing that the comment would embarrass her yet saying it anyways. Though she did not feel as bad as she had earlier in the week, still a little embarrassed by it, but it was done and in the past now. No sense to dwell on it any longer. Years of living with Luan had taught her that you had to learn to laugh at yourself.

"Now I really do have to kick your ass." She told him.

"Kin we mak' oot a bit first?" He asked.

Lynn stood and thought about if for second. "Ok." She said. "First we make out, then I kick your ass."

* * *

 **Well that was the last chapter with Cory. Sad because I like his character, happy because I don't have to write his accent anymore. That was a pain, having the grammar program scream at me that everything was wrong. Well at least now I know to just let you guys do the work there and imagine an accent.**

 **So I had Luna start to listen to pop music because it just seems like she would absorb all things music. That is who she is. Also, that song really does get stuck in in your head, if you like it or not.**

 **The song that Lynn played was a cover of a Third Eye Blind song by an artist named Alana Davis. My ex girlfriend played to for me once and I just loved the way she handled it.**

 **Also, if you are not a fan of the outfit that Lynn had, well I don't know what to tell you. I wrote myself into a corner there and that seemed the best way out. It felt like it touched a bit on the sexy side, while also showing the strong and tuff Lynn. Almost like a blending of the two sides of her.**

 **One more chapter to go, then it's time to say goodbye. Unfortunately it's going to be awhile before I post again. I am not where near ready to publish any other stories, and I don't know how long they will take.**

 **Oh, I also want to point out that this story was added to the community Loud House Hall of Fame. Just wanted to thank who ever did that, it is an honor to be added to a list which contains so many great stories. Can't say I see my stuff being nearly as good as them, but thanks.**

 **So until Friday guys and gals, have a good one.**

 **Peace.**


	20. Chapter 20

**Mike The Red Engine: Thanks again for letting me use Cory. Hopefully you don't mind I have more planned for him in future stories. And thanks for reviewing every chapter.**

 **WifeofJaceHerondale: Thanks for the kind words. I'll admit I don't see myself as nearly as good as some people think I am, so it's wonderful when people tell me that lol**

 **Ok everyone, here is the final chapter. I hope you like it.**

* * *

 **Chapter 20: Girl Talk: Late Night Edition**

It was just past ten o'clock when a black van with a flaming skull pulled up outside 1216 Franklin Avenue. In the drivers seat was a heavy set man in his late thirties with a nose ring. He wore a black vest over a long sleeve gray shirt, and atop his shaved head was a purple newsboy cap. He looked back to the two girls who sat in the back of the van amongst the various equipment and instruments.

"Alright then love, were here." Chunk said with a thick British accent.

The side door to the van slid open and Luna stumbled out, still a little tipsy from the after party to their show down at the pub. She kissed her blonde angel Sam on the lips, wishing she could kiss a lot more than just her lips.

"Break it up will ya love." Chunk said. "I'm dog tired and I need ta crash. You two can snog later."

Luna shot her roadie/friend/possible drummer a nasty look. She was sixteen years old, a little buzzed, a lot horny, and not in the mood for his crap. Chunk was always looking for an excuse to break up her and Sam's PDA's, mainly because he hadn't been laid since Emo was just still rocking the top of the charts. That didn't mean he had to make those around him suffer. And suffer Luna did. She was young and in love with the most beautiful girl in the world. She felt it was time to take things beyond the sloppy make out sessions. She knew her parents and siblings would probably kill her if they knew that she was drinking, and thinking about finally having sex with Sam. Which sucked hard, because she really wanted to talk to someone about it, get some advice or something. Sam would be her first. Sure there was that boy that she fooled around with when she first turned fifteen, but she only let him get so far. Lots of hand stuff, but nothing where they needed protection.

Luna sighed and gave Sam one last kiss and started to walk towards the house. She swerved a little but not as bad as she had earlier. She remembered when two beers would knock her on her butt, now she was up to doing shots of vodka. She used to feel bad about drinking behind her parents backs, knowing that they had talked with all the older girls about waiting until the legal age or at least until they were eighteen. At least that was what her mother told her, saying that she knew full well how hard it was for teenagers to not fall into the peer pressure trap. She tried to wait until eighteen but found it hard when she was often playing in bars and pubs. When her buddy Doozy offered her and Sam a drink one night, well she just couldn't refuse.

Luna stood on the front porch for a moment debating about whether or not to try to sneak in from the front or from the back. She never really had much luck going in from the front door, her father had hearing like a safe cracker and the floor boards and front door were notorious for squeaking. The steps on the stairs used to do the same thing, thankfully Lana did the older girls a solid and fixed them. She would have done the same thing with the floor boards around the stairs, but that would have required tearing everything up and even replacing the sub-flooring.

Luna decided to go in from the back entrance, thinking she could hang out on the back porch a little while she continued to sober up. She stumbled back down the stairs and around back, noticing the silhouette of someone else making their way towards the back porch. As she got closer she noticed the brown ponytail and red and white track suit that Lynn was wearing when she left the house.

"Luna?" Lynn whispered.

"Lynn? Whatch ya doin out here dude?" Luna asked.

"Just .. uhh ... just getting back from my date." Lynn nervously smiled.

"Way to go dude." Luna said, lightly punching her sisters arm.

She was glad to finally see her sister looking happy and dating. She could never put her finger on it before but she had noticed that Lynn seemed a bit down from time to time. She hid it well, throwing herself into whatever sport took up her time that day or week or season. Still, Luna could tell there was something off. When she found out about Francisco, and her talk with Lori, she knew Lynn was troubled when it came to guys. Though she knew it went deeper than that. She wanted to try to talk with her, get her to open up, but she was not sure Lynn was ready for that kind of talk yet.

Luna motioned for Lynn to take a seat on the porch next to her. "So how was it?" She asked.

"Not going to lie." Lynn said. "It was alot of fun. I think I see what you guys are always going on and on about."

Luna chuckled. "So how far did you let him get? First base? Second base?"

Lynn didn't say anything. She was not sure she wanted to tell Luna all the details about her date with Cory and how far they went. Though she also did not want her sister thinking she was slut who just gave it out whenever any guy showed her a little attention.

"Don't tell me you let him get to third dude?" Luna said, a little worried.

"I don't kiss and tell." Lynn joked.

"Dude don't act all shy around me now. Just the other day you told me when you clogged the bleeding bowl after eating a super spicy sub."

"We just kissed." Lynn reassured her sister.

Luna felt her heart beat steady. "Good dude. You gotta make them wait, besides you can't come out swinging your first time in the ring."

"I know. But I wanted to go a lot further." Lynn said.

"You pretty much always do dude. That is why it's called restraint." Luna said.

"Were you out with Sam?" Lynn asked

"Yeah, we played a gig down at the pub tonight." Luna told her. "Then had a little after party to celebrate."

"Is that why I smell booze on you?" Lynn asked.

"That obvious huh?"

Lynn nodded.

"I did a few shots." Luna confessed. "Got a bit too tipsy."

Lynn's brow furrowed at the thought of her sister getting drunk. She knew it would happen sooner or later, the rest of the girls having a bet going as to when she would succumb to the rock and roll lifestyle. They all hoped they were wrong and she would either not hit the bottle, or at least wait til she turned twenty-one. Turned out Luan might have won the bet.

"You and Sam fool around?" Lynn asked, getting a sly grin as a response. "How far did you get?"

"Not as far as I wanted." Luna said.

"What does that mean?"

Luna sighed as she contemplated telling her sister about her wants and plans. She would rather have talked to Lori about it if she were being honest, knowing that Lori and Bobby were like rabbits before he moved away. She had even heard them once when they thought the house was empty. Everyone had gone to a movie and she was at a show. The lead singer had thrown a tantrum and left early, so she decided to call it and go home herself. When she walked up the stairs and went to her room she could her the bed squeaking in Lori's room as well as some dirty talk that she was not aware her sister was capable of. She never said anything to Lori, knowing it was none of her business, and that Bobby was a good guy that would always treat her right. Though she did worry about her sister getting pregnant. That was the last thing the family needed.

"I'm thinking of having sex with Sam." Luna said.

"I .. uh .. uhh ... wow." Lynn stammered out.

"Yep." Luna nodded.

"Have you talked with anyone else about this?" Lynn asked.

"Nope." Luna said. "And I can't say for sure if I'm going to. I mean Lori never talked to us before she started knocking boots with Bobby."

"True." Lynn said.

"And I'm pretty sure Leni isn't a virgin anymore either." Luna said, thinking back to about a year ago when she was acting kind of funny about something. She never let on what it was, but she had a glow and a strange grin for a while. Luna noticed that it almost looked like the same look when Lori lost her virginity.

"So much for restraint huh?" Lynn joked.

"Hey I never said I was good at holding back." Luna said. "Discipline was always more your thing karate kid."

Lynn leaned over and put her arm around her sister, who rested her head on her shoulder. They sat and enjoyed the autumn night. The slight chill in the air, the way the stars sparkled like glitter cast upon the ebony of the night sky.

"So how does it feel?" Luna asked. "Being in love and all."

"This is only our second date." Lynn said. "I'm not in love, I mean we still don't know a lot about each other."

Luna laughed to herself, finding Lynn's defensive nature somewhat similar to Lincolns when confronted about matters of the heart. The boy swore up and down that he was never dating Ronnie Anne, and even now he denied that he and Kat were an item. It was funny how the mind was able to play tricks on the heart, making you blind to what was right in front you. Even she had that problem for a while with Sam, though now when she looked at her lady love she could almost see little cartoon hearts dance around her head.

"Just wait dude, sooner or later the dust will clear and you'll see it." Luna said.

"See what?'

"You fooled around and fell in love." Luna smiled.

Lynn blushed but tried to shake her sisters words off. She was not in love. Not this soon. This was her first boyfriend, and it was only her second date. Sure he was her first kiss as well, but that didn't mean that he was her first love. It took time for those things to happen. Right?

"Anyways we better get in the house before dad catches us." Luna told her sister. "And if that happens then Sam and Cory will be alone for a long time."

The two sisters carefully snuck into the house, lightly tip toeing through the kitchen and into the dinning room. Lynn hugged the wall as Luna peeked around the corner to make sure that their dad was not waiting in the living room. When she saw that the coast was clear the slowly made their way up the stairs and parted as they went to their respective rooms, both mouthing the words 'goodnight' and 'love you'.

Lynn slipped into her room and looked to where her roommates bed was. Lucy lay on top with her arms folded as if she were a corpse in a coffin. Typical Lucy. Lynn carefully went to her dresser and took out her pj's, trying to change as silently as possible. As she crawled into bed she heard he phone beep, the soft blue light from the screen illuminating the dark room. She quickly looked over to make sure it did not wake her sister, then checked the message. It was from Cory. Lynn smiled as she read it.

 _Had a lot of fun. Can't wait to see you again._

She smiled again, her heart beating faster as her thoughts drifted back to earlier in the evening with Cory. The words Luna had said earlier rang out in her head, _you fooled around and fell in love_. Was it true? She did fool around earlier, and though they never crossed second base, their hands were hovering near the plate. And she did feel a strong feeling for him, alot more than just a crush. The thought of his hands on her, or her lips against his, and her heart was a flutter. Was she in love? She sent back a winking smiley face blowing a kiss. She instantly felt cheesy for doing it, but at the same time she didn't really care. She lo ... liked him, and did not mind being cute and cheesy.

"Is this going to be a regular thing?" Lucy's voice came from out of the still darkness.

Lynn jumped in her bed, her heart feeling like she was just grabbed by a psycho in hockey mask. She turned to where Lucy was still lying in her bed, her arms still folded and her head still looking up at the ceiling.

"Sorry did I wake you?" Lynn said.

"No, I couldn't sleep so I was pretending to be dead." Lucy said.

"Oh. Sorry."

"So is thing going to be a regular thing?" Lucy asked again.

Lynn was pretty sure she knew what her sister was referring to. "What do you mean?"

"Coming home late and sneaking into the house." Lucy said. "After being with your boyfriend." She quickly added.

"I dunno." Lynn admitted. "I guess it depends on what we do."

There was a moment of silence, a moment were thousands of words had floated and were left unsaid. Lynn wondered if Lucy was upset with her, maybe she was worried that she was going to end up like Lori when Bobby was still around. They did not see much of their sister when her boyfriend still lived in town. Lynn could see Lucy being a little afraid that her sister would spend all of her time with her new boyfriend, leaving her siblings to their own devices. Then it could have also been that Lucy was a little jealous, she did not seem to have anyone special in her life. Both Silas and Rocky seemed to not come around the house as much, and she knew how much her sister liked those two. Could Lucy actually be jealous? Or was it simply a question? Was Lucy just curious as to how her sister sneaking in late at night would affect her sleep?

"I'm happy for you Lynn." Lucy said, finally shattering the silence. "I hope this will to silence those thoughts of self-doubt in your head."

Lynn sucked in her breath and held it like it was the only thing keeping her afloat on a sea of panic. Lucy's words struck her like an arrow to the heart, making her mind race as if she were mere seconds from a world ending disaster. How? How did she know?

"H-how did you know?" Lynn asked.

"Not much goes on in the house I don't know about." Lucy said, still lying on her bed. She turned her head to look at her sister, who was still wearing a mask of shock and panic. "Don't listen to them." Lucy said.

"Listen to who?" Lynn asked.

"The voice Lynn." Lucy told her. "We all have one, and it's not good to listen to it."

Lynn knew what she was talking about. That little voice that had nagged her for years now, telling her she was not pretty, not good enough, and whispering other things. Thankfully that voice had quieted down as of late, but she knew it was still there. It does not simply go away. If anyone in the house knew about the darkness that followed that voice in one's head, it was Lucy. If her roommate told her not to listen to the voice, then she would damn sure not to listen to the voice. Though it was nice to know that when it came back she had her family to be there to help her, as well as her friends, and her boyfriend.

"Thanks Luce."

"I really am happy for you." Lucy told her. "It's nice to see you smile."

"Thanks." Lynn said. "Hope to see you smile someday today."

"Perhaps." Lucy said. "Now go to sleep or I will bite you."

Lynn smiled as she pulled the covers over her and closed her eyes thinking about how lucky she was. Words she had often heard her little brother say, floating in the sea of her mind. The best thing about having ten sisters, was that they always had your back. Lynn had nine sisters and one brother. Add to that, two loving parents, a handful of great friends, and cute as hell boyfriend. Life was looking pretty damn good. For the first time in a long time, Lynn fell asleep with a smile on her face. Thankful for all the good things in her life.

 **End**

* * *

 **That's it everyone. End of the story. I was so sure this story would not be as well received as it was. Thankfully a great number of you faved and commented and kept coming back. You guys and gals all rock. Thanks.**

 **I hope to be back soon with more stories. Until then ...**

 **Peace**


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